Lost and Found
by MargotSails
Summary: Carol takes the car and leaves before the others even realize she's missing. Starts in season 5 episode 2.
1. Chapter 1

The sensation of falling caused Daryl to violently jolt awake. It took him several seconds to take notice of his surroundings. He was still sitting on the floor of the church slumped against the wooden pew. The room was lit with several candles throughout. He knew he hadn't been out long because people were still divided into groups carrying on quite conversations. Some still eating from the "feast" of the evening.

Daryl put his head back with a sigh, wanting to continue his slumber. He jerked back up almost immediately upon realizing something was wrong. It took him only a second more to realize what it was. Sitting where Carol had been was a lone empty plate and no sign of the woman.

He quickly jumped to his feet almost shouting "Where's Carol?"

The room went silent all heads turning toward him. Michonne was the one to speak "I saw her go out the door a bit ago." she said casually. "I assumed she was going to use the bathroom."

Daryl moved quickly to the spot Carol had been sitting and looked for her pack. His stomach got tight with dread when he couldn't find it. Without saying another word he started out the door. He raced through the woods without his usual grace. He broke out of the trees right where the "emergency" car was supposed to be. The car was gone.

He braced his hands on his knees and took several deep breaths to control his frustration. He was startled when Rick asked "What's going on, Daryl?" from right beside him.

"She's gone." Daryl answered quietly.

"What do you mean?" Rick asked looking around with a confused expression.

Daryl sighed deeply "Me and Carol found a car with a charger. She said that we should leave it here in case things went south at the church. I knew she wasn't herself. She seemed so cut off from everyone. I was keeping an eye on her but I fell asleep." Daryl was on the verge of tears, picking up a rock and throwing it as hard as he could into the woods in his frustration.

"Maybe she will come back." Rick said trying to be optimistic.

"No." Tyreese said from behind them. "She wasn't planning on staying. She was just making sure that Judith and I made it to Terminus and then she was going to leave."

Daryl stood looking at Tyreese for several uncomfortable minutes before asking "Are you going to tell us what happened out there?" Daryl knew that Carol wasn't the only one changed. Tyreese was a broken man and nobody knew why.

Tyreese's only response was to shake his head an turn back toward the church.

"I don't know what to do." Daryl whispered totally lost.

"We just have to keep doing what we're doing. Maybe she'll realize the mistake she is making and will come back to us." Rick said as they started the journey back through the woods to the church.

Daryl nodded his head in agreement, but deep down he knew she wouldn't be back.

Carol knew even as she was starting the car that she was most likely making a huge mistake, but she never hesitated. Without even glancing in the rear view mirror she drove away from her family.

She didn't have the will to stay and watch them die, especially when there was no way to stop it. She was so full of pain, she didn't think it would ever stop hurting.

She drove for hours not even paying attention to the signs telling her where she was going. She just drove until eventually the car just stopped. Of course the car had to stop in the middle of nowhere, she wasn't really surprised.

She grabbed her pack out of the car, contemplating the rifle before deciding to take it. Then she simply started walking. She followed the road for several miles before turning and heading into the woods.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_**Two Weeks Later**_

The church had been a good place for the group to rest and regroup a little. Abraham, Rosita and Eugene decided to continue on their journey while the others decided to stay. Only a few days after the others left the remaining members of Terminus had attacked the church. It was a quick and bloody battle with no loss of life for the church group.

Rick had wanted to leave after the first week, but Daryl had been reluctant. He kept saying that he wanted the group to be able to rest more. Rick was sure Daryl didn't want to leave in case Carol returned. Rick knew that Daryl had gone hunting for Carol under the guise of hunting for supplies. While he had indeed found supplies, he never saw any sign of Carol or the car.

Rick hurt for his friend but they needed to be on the road. They desperately needed a more permanent home.

When the group were all sitting in the church eating that night he decided it was time to bring up leaving again. He looked over to see Daryl brooding over his beans.

"Daryl can you please join us over here." Rick put some authority in his voice, knowing Daryl was more likely to listen. Rick watched Daryl gave the biggest sigh of his life and then move to his feet. He slowly moved over to stand against the wall behind Maggie and Glenn who sat on the floor with Sasha and Bob. Tyreece was sitting on a bench to their left with Judith on a pile of blankets beside him and Michonne sitting on her other side. Carl and Gabriel sat on either side of Rick who was standing at the head of the group. Tara had been standing, but decided to sit beside Glenn when it looked like an important conversation.

Rick stood silently looking at his family. They had all been through so much. He wanted nothing more than to find them a safe permanent place. Even more so now he had Judith back.

"We need to move out of here and quick." he finally spoke. "I would like to have something more permanent before the cold gets here."

"I'm staying with my church." Gabriel spoke, looking wearily at the others.

Rick had expected that response from him. "We will set you up as best we can before we leave, but you are more than welcome to come with us."

Gabriel gave a small nod.

"Where are we going to go?" Glenn asked.

Before Rick could give an answer Daryl spoke up "Maybe we should try going into the mountains." he paused looking at the group to judge what they were thinking. Everyone seemed to be interested. He continued. "It would be harder to do runs, but it's not exactly easy now. It's harder on the walkers to move around on hills and stuff."

Tyreese was the first to break the silence. "I think it's not a bad idea. If we could find some place on a hill and put spikes up, it would make it harder for the bastards to climb."

Rick thought for a minute. "I don't have any problem with that idea. Does anyone else?"

Everyone shook their head in the negative.

"OK so we will take the rest of the day today and tomorrow to plan and to pack and to get Gabriel as settled as we can. Then we will hit a couple of towns around here and gather all the supplies we can, then head up the mountain."

Everyone agreed and went back to their business. Rick saw Daryl moving to the door, when he stepped out, Rick followed.

He found him sitting on the steps outside the church. "This is a good idea." Rick said sitting beside him.

Daryl just shrugged.

Rick sighed "I know you miss her. We all do, but she left us. She's obviously not coming back. You have to keep going. That's what she would want."

After a moment of silence Daryl replied "I know. It's time to move on. I just feel like I'm giving up on her."

Rick stood giving Daryl's shoulder a squeeze as he moved toward the door. "I know what you mean."

The next several weeks were filled with non-stop moving. They hit as many towns as they could, stocking up on supplies. They found three vehicles and stuffed them as full as they could while still being able to fit themselves. They had a large Chevy truck and two Jeep Cherokees. They had gotten lucky and found a stash of several gas cans full of gas and a hidden hatch under some stairs in an old house full of food goods. If they were careful they had enough food to last for several weeks, before they had to start getting nervous.

Finally a month after leaving the church they hit the pay dirt in the form of a large compound on the top of a mountain. It had a large two story central building made of stone and wood with two smaller one story building flanking either side, both made of stone. There was also three small aluminum sheds on the property.

There was a wooden wall about seven foot high on three sides. It looked to be more for decoration and privacy instead of protection, but with a little re-enforcement it could be a strong barrier against walkers. On the fourth side toward the road there looked to be the beginnings of a stone wall. Two sides of the property had nearly shear drops on the other side of the wall. The other two side were large hills. The hills were covered with high weeds and grass which would make it hard for walkers or people to climb. The road into the property was dirt and starting to be taken over by grass which would work in their favor.

There was only about 15 walkers stumbling around the outside, but they all turned in their direction immediately. They were taken care of quickly.

The sky was starting to darken so they chose one of the smaller buildings to camp in for the night. They cleared out the 5 walkers quickly and went about blocking all the entrances with whatever was available.

The next day they finished clearing out the other buildings with very little incident. They found a large kitchen area with a walk in pantry filled with canned and boxed goods. There was a freezer full of rotted meat. After a spirited game of Rock-Paper-Scissors Tara and Carl ended up in charge of freezer clean up. Neither of them being afraid to voice their displeasure.

In a small room on the bottom floor of the largest building they found a medical office with some meds and first aid supplies. In the small aluminum sheds they found a variety of garden tools. The majority were turned into much needed weapons.

When it was time to choose rooms they all decided to stay in the largest building. Sasha and Bob had a room together as did Glenn and Maggie. While the others had their own private rooms, with Judith with Rick.

They had been temporarily keeping the exposed side of the wall blocked with the Jeeps. They were eventually able to find enough random materials to make a crude wall with a gate large enough to drive through. They reinforced the other three sides as well making a nice protective barrier from walkers and humans alike. They put spikes up the hills, as well as along the outside of the walls.

They finished with a few weeks to spare before the cold weather moved in.

* * *

_**Six months after Carol left**_

Carol jerked awake to complete darkness. She actually blinked several times to make sure she had her eyes open. She was laying on her back and when her eyes adjusted for a minute she could see the outline of the room. It was a tiny room and smelled of dirt, urine and excrement. It was only when she tried to move her hand to her nose she realized she was shackled. She tried moving both arms and legs realizing all were shackled. She pulled as hard as could at them knowing it was useless.

When she tried to move her mouth to yell she felt the gag. Trying hard not to panic she went completely limp and took several deep breaths relaxing and listening.

When she was completely quite she could just make out the jangle of another pair of shackles. She moved her head trying to see in the darkness. She couldn't.

As she concentrated on trying to see beside her, the room was suddenly illuminated with a dull glow. She could just make out the figure beside her. It was another woman, she was covered in a thick layer of dirt and what was probably blood. Her eyes were huge and the blue was made brighter by the darkness of the filth on her face. She was breathing quickly and deeply. She shifted her eyes up as a trap door was opened above them.

Temporarily blinded by the harsh light Carol didn't notice the figure coming down the ladder. When she was able to see again she could see it was a man with a little brown haired girl, who was just as dirty as the woman beside her. He pushed the little girl into the corner and turned his eyes to Carol.

He smiled at her with crooked browning teeth. "Well, what do we have here?" he asked moving toward her. He stood over her, staring, moving his eyes up and down her body.

When he met her eyes she met his stare unflinchingly. He moved to straddle her on his knees. He put his hands on her breast and squeezed as hard as he could. Her cheek twitched, but she gave him no reaction, just staring at him pointedly.

He lost his smile a little then tilting his head and regarding her. She saw his right side tensing for a slap and braced herself as much as she could, turning her head with the blow. She winced slightly but didn't make a sound. He reared back and slapped her harder this time. He got the same reaction, even though she was in a considerable amount of pain. She refused to show any kind of weakness to a man again. She had fought too hard to become the woman she was now. She wouldn't go back.

After another brief staring contest he pulled something off his hip. He held up the knife for her to see. He pressed it against her cheek hard enough to break the skin. He dragged it down her cheek an inch. Again no reaction.

"You think I believe you ain't scared of me?" he snarled his smile gone completely now. He grabbed the sides of her shirt and ripped it violently. Her body jerked from the rough movement, but she retained her silence.

He was about the cut her tank when a voice from above called out. The man above her jumped up quickly and backed away from her.

A large man peeked his head down into the open door. When he saw the other man he came down quickly. "Charles you know daddy don't like you messin' with his pets. You was just supposed to bring the little un' down here and come eat. Am I going to have to tell daddy you need another whoopin'?"

Charles looked like a scolded child as he shook his head and said "Nuh uh." He moved dejectedly to the ladder with a glare in Carol's direction.

After Charles left the larger man gave Carol a dismissive glance before leaving without a word. The man shut the door and Carol could hear a shuffling sound from at her feet and saw the little girl moving toward the other woman's side.

"Mama?" she whispered. The woman was only able to mumble a slight sound around the gag in her mouth. The girl seemed relieved to hear it though. Carol looked again at the chained woman. Carol could just make out scaring along the right side of the woman's face beneath the filth. It looked like cuts, there was several of them. Carol assumed the blood on her face was from fresh ones that she couldn't see. She knew she had a matching one on her own cheek.

The woman met Carol's eyes now, no longer looking panicked now that her baby was back. She gave a slight nod in Carol's direction that Carol returned right as the room was thrown back into darkness as the light upstairs was turned off.

After a few quite minutes in the dark the little girl was shuffling and then settling again. She started to hum then. Carol couldn't place the song but it was sweet sounding. She was lost in the beautiful song when she felt a tiny freezing hand take hold of her own and hold it gently. She finally let the tears slide down her aching face.


	2. Chapter 2

Carol had no way of knowing how long she lay there until the lights above were turned on again. The little girl quickly moved back to the corner of the room and then the door was opened. Carol was briefly relived to see that it wasn't Charles. It was the larger man who had reprimanded Charles before.

He made is way down the ladder and stood beside the two chained women. He fiddled with a set of keys on his belt loop. After some contemplation he kneeled beside Carol and started to remove her constraints. She briefly thought about trying to fight her way out, but didn't want to risk the other two lives and she didn't have any way of knowing where the other man was. She decided to just see what happened.

After the shackles were off he grabbed her roughly by the shirt and pulled her to her feet. It took her a second to find her balance after laying down for so long. She was startled when he roughly grabbed her chin and made her face him.

"Don't even think of tryin' somethin'. It would be real stupid." And with that he pushed her toward the ladder.

She stumbled but caught herself before falling. At the top of the ladder she found a room, or more so a closet. The light was coming from a bare bulb in the ceiling and Carol briefly wondered how they had power. Before she could think anything else she was roughly pushed out the open door. Behind her the man turned off the light and closed the door. She was glad she wasn't in the dark for now.

As Carol took in her surrounding she could tell she was in a cabin of some sort. It was large and open. Surprisingly bright from the natural light coming in the windows. There was no artificial light that she could see. She was standing in the living room. There were three comfortable looking chairs around a fireplace against the biggest wall. As she was shoved further she saw a dining room with a small table and three chairs. There was a small kitchen area with an old wood burning stove and counters covered with what looked to be drying meat. Carols mouth watered at the sight.

She was shoved past all this out the door. Outside she was confronted with a large brick wall. There was probably about 7 feet of dirt before the wall. Again she was pushed in a different direction. When they turned around the corner of the house she saw a cage and panic started to set in. Before she had time for any kind of reaction she was shoved roughly into the cage and the door was shut. She turned to face the man.

She got a good look at him for the first time. She knew he was much larger than Charles but he was also much younger. He couldn't be any older than 20. "Take off your clothes." he demanded harshly. She didn't immediately react. "You take them off or I come in there and rip em' off." He reached for the gate but Carol quickly started to undress. After she was completely exposed she held her arms trying to cover herself. This caused the big man to chuckle. When he opened the gate door Carol shrunk back as far as she could into the corner. Again this got another laugh. He simply grabber her clothes and closed the door before walking off.

Even though she was nude and in a cage she started to relax a little. From her vantage point she could she could only see the brick wall and the wooden wall of the cabin. She figured the cabin would have been beautiful once upon a time.

She was brought out of musings buy the sound of voices. She saw Charles and the younger man coming around the corner, but they weren't alone. An older man with white hair and a long beard was walking between them. They all stood in front of the cage staring at her with interest. She regarded the new man with the same interest. He reminded her of Hershel without the kindness you could always see in Hershel. The man's eyes were cold. He looked at her like Ed used to before he would punish her.

She gave the man a once over and stopped when she saw her knife on his hip. "That's my knife." she stated dumbly. She was surprised when the man laughed loudly. She could tell the other two men were just as shocked as she was. "I think it's mine now. Don't you?" He asked, his voice raspy. She had expected it to be stronger. She shrugged one shoulder "For now."

"Well aren't you awfully cocky for a naked bitch, in a cage." Charles snarled from beside the older man. She didn't even acknowledge him. Never taking her eyes off the older man. She heard Charles growl a little. The old man just shook his head with a smirk.

"I guess you're wondering why you're here aren't you." The old man said. "You're here because you belong to us now. We saved you from them dead bastards and now you owe us."

Carol sighed wondering how she always ended up dealing with crazy people.

"What do you want me to do?" she asked trying to keep the exasperation out of her voice. She was so tired of it all.

"Whatever we want you to do. You'll do all the lady stuff around here cleanin' and cooking and whatnot. If you don't do what we say we can make you Charles's little toy." he finished his voice turning hard.

Carol could see Charles smiling out of the corner of her eye. He actually licked his lips. She knew she would do anything to keep that from happening.

"What about the other woman and her kid?" she asked.

"The woman is nothing to us anymore. She's only alive cause her kid won't sing to us if we kill her." The old man answered her.

Carol nodded her head like it all made perfect sense. "So why am I in this cage and naked. I can't do my cleaning or cooking from in here."

The old man chuckled again. "Well you're in the cage so you don't get the idea in your head to run. You're naked, because… why not." He ended with a shrug and a smirk. She saw two matching smirks on the younger men. She had to fight the urge not to roll her eyes. The whole ordeal seemed so ridiculous.

She was subjected to several more minutes of uncomfortable staring before finally the door was opened and she was handed back her clothes. She got dressed quicker than she ever had before and stood waiting to see what happened next.

Several hours later, she had no way of knowing how many for sure but the natural light from the window was now replaced with darkness. There was a single light bulb glowing in a floor lamp against the wall close to the fireplace. The men were eating the meal of random jarred foods they had in a room off the kitchen. The room was full of enough food to last the men years. They also had barrels of rain water against the house and buckets full of fresh water they get from a creek near the house.

From listening to the men talk she knew the biggest ones name was Jacob, the older man was only referred to as papa.

She had been working non-stop since they let her out of the cage. As she worked she was also learning her surroundings. Trying to figure out if there was a way to get away. She had a few ideas, but didn't know how to go about executing them quite yet.

When the men were finished eating Carol started cleaning the dishes. Papa sent Jacob down to get the little girl for the evening's entertainment.

When the little girl came in she was shaking. When she looked at Carol she gave her a reassuring smile. The little girl seemed to calm slightly. The girl was probably 9 or 10 her hair was too dirty and matted to tell the color. Her eyes were the same blue as her mothers. The men stood her in front of the fireplace and made her sing songs for a while before finally deciding they were done with her.

Papa gave Carol three bowls of the leftovers from supper and sent her down in the hole to feed the other two along with herself. She escorted to the trap door and told to make it quick. She lowered herself down the ladder and passed a bowl to the little girl. The girl immediately started to shovel the food down. She moved to the shackled woman. It took a minute to work out how to feed her, but she ended up bracing the woman up with knees under her shoulders and feeding her herself. When the woman was finished Carol ate from her own bowl. Finishing half and then giving the little girl the rest. The little girl gave her back the empty bowl with a whispered "Thank you."

Back at the top of the stairs she was confronted by an irritated looking Jacob. He showed her his frustration by pushing her out the door. She tripped but kept her feet under her.

After finishing the last three dishes and getting the men's beds ready for them to sleep in she was surprised when papa told her she would be sleeping on the floor in his room.

She was relieved to not have to be shackled again, but couldn't figure out why. She decided not to think about it too hard. She lay on the rough wooden floor at the foot of papa's bed with no form of bedding, but she was so exhausted she was asleep almost immediately.

* * *

It had been a month since Carol was captured. She had been the model prisoner for the men. Doing exactly as they said when they said, making sure they never had to ask twice. She knew they were starting to get too comfortable with her, they were getting sloppy in there watchfulness. There would be several minutes where she was completely left to her own devices.

She started to take these times to snoop and plan. She was snooping around in the bathroom one day and stumbled upon some sleeping pills. She put them in her pocket, and was back to where they left before they realized she was alone again.

A couple of nights later while she was cooking she decided to add an extra ingredient. She emptied the bottle of pills into the stew. She knew it wouldn't kill the men, but she hoped it was enough to put them down while she executed her plan.

Later that night the three men were slumped in their chairs all in a deep sleep. Carol quickly grabbed the keys of Jacob and her knife off of Papa. She moved quickly into the closet threw open the door. She heard a startled yelp from the little girl. "It's me." she said quietly before descending the ladder.

She made her way quickly to the shackled woman and made quick work of the constraints. "You have to hurry." She told the woman who was moving stiffly into a sitting position. Carol pulled the woman into a standing position knowing she was in pain from laying on the ground chained for so long. "I know it hurts but you have to move." She pushed the woman toward the ladder going up first and then helping the woman and little girl up.

She quickly checked out the door to see if the men were still asleep and they were. Carol moved the woman and the little girl to the room off the kitchen. She noticed both of them glance at the door to the outside longingly. She would have laughed if she was so panicked. She moved some stuff around until she found the backpack she was looking for. She had loaded it with things the two would need on the road. It would last them at least for a little bit.

"There's food, water and some other things you'll need." She said as the woman looked at the back questioningly. Carol ushered them out to the gate in the wall. "You've killed those things before right?" she asked gesturing to beyond the wall. The woman nodded. "Good take this." She said giving the woman her knife.

The woman shook her head "Aren't you coming?"

Carol smiled and shook her head. "I'm going to make sure you have enough time to get far away."

The woman hesitated only a second before grabbing the knife "Thank you." she said before turning to leave.

Carol was almost knocked down by the fierce hug the little girl gave her before following her mom.

Carol watched them go with a smile.

* * *

_**2 weeks later**_

Daryl sat in the makeshift lookout tower, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. The tower was built out of scavenged wood and bricks. It had a wide base and a covered platform at the top. It was protected against the elements and against anyone who may decide to shoot at it. You got up to the platform by a rickety ladder. It was built to hold one person but you could squeeze in another if needed.

Daryl spent most of his time in the tower. He was still afraid to get too comfortable even though they were the safest they had been since the world went to hell. They were stocked with more food than they had ever had thanks to weekly runs. They were well protected from walkers and only occasionally had to go out and deal with the buildup of bodies against the wall.

During their time there had been two random groups of people to find the compound. They had been given the option of staying if they wanted or going when they were ready and unsurprisingly so far they had decided to stay. So they now had seven new people. They all seemed to be decent people from the little amount of time Daryl had dealt with them. It was nice to have the extra help.

Everything was calm out until he noticed figures making their way up the hill to the gate, they were moving too quick to be walkers. He gave a shrill whistle to Michonne and Rick who were walking the wall. They looked up and he gestured to the gate. They both took off in that direction, as Daryl climbed down from his post.

Pointing a gun through the gate Rick demanded "On your knees." when the strangers reached the gate. They all immediately dropped. There was four of them. Three adults and a small child.

Rick, Daryl and Michonne made their way out of the gate with guns still aimed at the group. They could only see the face of two of the adults. The thirds face was shielded by a hood, the child held tightly to their hand.

"We aren't going to hurt you." Rick assured as Daryl approached the first of the adults.

It was a woman probably in her 30's. She looked at Daryl unflinchingly. "You got any weapons on you." Daryl asked brusquely.

The woman moved her jacket aside showing a knife at her waist. "I have another in my boot." she answered honestly. After handing the knives off to Michonne, Daryl moved on to the other unhooded adult. It was another woman who also had a knife on her waist.

When Daryl moved to the hooded figure he noticed a black and silver knife on their hip. He yanked the hood of the persons head causing the woman to jerk in fear. "Where did you get that knife?" He demanded.

Rick noticed the outburst. "Daryl." He said sharply. "What's wrong?"

"She has Carols knife." Daryl explained, knowing the knife anywhere. He grabbed the knife, asking again "Where did you get it?"

The woman looked fearful. "A woman gave it to me. She helped me and my daughter escape some men who were holding us hostage." She answered.

Daryl looked at the woman trying to tell if she was being truthful. Her face was covered in cuts and that he knew came from a knife. He knew she wasn't lying.

"When did this happen?" Daryl asked not as harshly as before.

The woman seemed to be thinking. "I don't know a couple of week's maybe."

"Where?" Daryl asked

"I don't know when she got us out we just ran until we couldn't. I know it was north from here. I don't miles or anything." She answered nervously.

Daryl gave a nod and left the group standing at the hate as he rushed to grab his stuff. He was going to look for Carol.

As he was throwing his things into the back of one of the extra cars they kept for emergencies Rick walked up and leaned against the side.

"You know I have to do this." Daryl said before Rick even opened his mouth.

Rick gave a nod. "I know, I'm not stopping you. I was going to tell you to make sure you come back."

Rick held out a bag. Daryl took it peeking inside. It was full of extra food and a gun and some ammo. Daryl gave a thankful nod and got in the car. He pulled out of the gates without a backward glance.

* * *

Carol sat in the outdoor cage holding her jacket tight around her. Since the men had realized what she had done to them they had turned violent. She was covered in bruises and blood from their punishments. They had started making her stay in the cage when she wasn't being useful. Papa had also taken to letting Charles have her a couple hours a day. Thankfully he wasn't one for raping a woman, he did like to use a knife though.

He would sit her in a chair and talk to her while he made fresh cuts. Most were superficial but some she was sure some should have been sutured. She sported a nice long gash from her ear to the corner of her mouth from their first time alone together. He had laughed as he finally got a reaction out of her.

This was her punishment for not killing the bastards in their sleep when she had the chance. She had convinced herself then that she didn't want to kill any other living souls. She had spilled too much blood.

Now she knew it didn't matter. It was either them or her. She wasn't going to let it be her.


	3. Chapter 3

Carol could feel his eyes on her. For the past several days she had noticed Jacob eyeing her every time the others weren't around. His expression was dark and she knew nothing good could come of it.

She had been lucky so far that Papa and Charles were never gone too long. She just wasn't sure how long that luck would last.

It was two days later she knew her luck had run out. She could hear the trio talking at the gate how the heavy rains the night before would make the trip longer. Maybe even making it an overnighter.

Carol watched as Papa and Charles walked out the gate. Before completely out of sight Papa turned to her with an expression she couldn't quite read, and then he was gone.

Jacob stood and watched the others leave before turning his sights on Carol. He didn't immediately move toward the cage. He just stood where he was sizing Carol up.

Carols heart was pounding painfully in her chest as he started to slowly make his way toward her.

He stopped just outside the cage. Again just staring.

"Take you clothes off" he said gruffly, reminiscent of her first time in the cage.

Her hands were shaking so bad it took several minutes to remove all of the clothing. She moved her arms to cover herself, but Jacob slammed his hand against the cage and barked out a harsh "No!"

She dropped her hands immediately, standing totally exposed.

Jacob gave her a sinister smile. "You ain't stupid. You know how this is going to go." he growled at her.

When he opened the cage she tried to push past him and run, but knew he would be too strong. He pulled her tightly to him and grasped her breasts roughly.

She fought with everything she had. She brought her head back as hard as she could when he felt him biting at her neck. She could feel his teeth breaking the skin. The shock of the impact was enough for him to briefly his loosen his hold on her. She tried to run, but he recovered too quickly and took her to the ground.

She landed on her stomach, the impact knocking the breath out of her.

Before she could even catch her breath again, the world tilted as she was moved to her back.

"I wanna see your face while I'm in you." he said slightly winded from the exertion.

The heavy arm across her chest held her practically immobile, but she still fought with all she had. Hitting and scratching anything she could reach. She got several hits to his face, but they didn't even seem to faze him.

She started fighting harder when he moved between her legs and she felt him undoing his pants.

Her shout of pain drowned out his grunt of pleasure as he slammed into her roughly.

His arm was still across her chest and his new position caused more of his weight to push her the ground.

Finally exhaustion and knowing there was no point in fighting a battle she couldn't win she went limp. Arms falling to her side as she lost her fight.

Jacob apparently preferred her like this as his movements got faster and more violent.

On a particularly violent thrust Carol's arms automatically jerked wider, her hands searching for anything to grab on to.

Her right hand encountered something hard and she gripped it. When she tightened her grip it moved and she realized she could lift it. It was almost too heavy to lift with one hand but with a new surge of adrenaline she brought the object as hard as she could against the side of Jacobs head.

The blow stunned him enough that he stopped moving and she had enough time to hit him again, even harder this time.

With the second blow he fell to the side. Carol followed him, slamming the brick into his head, using both hands.

When she finally came out of her trance she wasn't sure how much time had passed, she could no longer make out the shape of what used to be Jacobs skull.

She sat staring at the mess, her breath coming in harsh gasps.

She was still sitting in the same position when she heard the voices of Papa and Charles nearing the gate. She had just enough time to grab the hidden knife she knew Jacob kept in his boot and stand before she heard the gate open.

Carol took the moment of shock that caused the two men to stop to flip open the knife in her hands.

Charles was the first to come back to himself, pulled the knife off his hip and with an enraged yell he charged her.

She was ready for him and slammed the knife into the side of neck, before he even raised his own knife. She smiled as she looked in his eyes, pulling the knife out and slamming it in again. She kept eye contact as he fell to the ground, wanting him to know she had won.

She looked up to see Papa holding a gun, but it wasn't pointed at her. He was simply holding it at his side.

He looked much older now starting brokenly at his dead sons.

"I knew he was going to do somethin'. That's why we came back." the old man said quietly. "You do everything you can for your kids." He continued seemingly unaware she was standing there exposed and covered in blood. "You just want to make them happy. That was all I had left. Making my kids happy."

He looked at carol now meeting her eyes and holding them. "That was all I had." He said again, raising the gun to his head.

Carol didn't even flinch.

* * *

Daryl had been searching for days, only occasionally catching a few hours of sleep, in the car.

He would find random houses here and there and search them. Never finding any signs of Carol.

If he hadn't been hyper alert he would have missed the almost overgrown driveway. He turned the car to go down the rough trail, but was afraid of bottoming out in the low car, so he left it and continued on foot.

When he stepped out into the opening he encountered a large brick wall. He found the gate quickly. It was already open so he simply stepped through. His crossbow in front of him.

He is brought up short by the sight of a walker in a cage. The walker was pushing himself against the sides, gnashing his teeth toward Daryl. Daryl decided the cage was sturdy enough for him not have to mess with.

There was two more bodies on the ground as well. An older man who was partially covered with a sheet and another man whose head was a pile of mush from what he could tell. His pants were down and his ass was bare. Daryl shuddered to think what he had been doing to incite that much rage.

As he moved inside he found the house empty. He banged against the wall, but didn't hear any movement. From the leftover food on a plate at the table he knew he had only missed the person by a day or two.

From the look of the mess outside he wasn't too upset by that.

In the room off of the kitchen he found a pantry of sorts. The room was full of food, including some jarred vegetables and fruits. He also saw sandwich bags full of jerky that actually made his mouth water. He grabbed one of the bags and tore into it, practically moaning in happiness.

He checked the other rooms which were simply bedrooms. The last door held a much smaller room, almost a closet. He saw a trapdoor in the floor.

He threw open the door and was confronted with only darkness. He took the flashlight he always had on him out and lit up the room below. He could see a dirt floor.

Looking further in the room he could see shackles attached to poles in the ground. He knew from the smell that someone have been kept in here for a while.

The he suddenly remembered the hooded woman with Carol's knife had mentioned being held captive. He knew he had the right place, he was just too late.

His only consolation was that Carol's body was nowhere to be seen.

He stared at the shackles, picturing Carol laying there helpless and terrified.

He realized he was shaking and quickly closed the trapdoor. He moved out of the small room slamming the door behind him. Even though he knew it was ridiculous he moved one of the chairs against the door.

He wanted to get out of there quickly.

He knew it would be stupid not to take advantage of the food, so he make several trips packing the car with as many goods as possible.

As he was making his last trip back to the car his eyes fell on the headless man again. A chill rand down his spine at the thought of what he had done, and who he had done it to.

He gagged as his mind races with images. Almost losing his recently consumed snack.

He raced to the car wanting nothing more than to leave this place as soon as possible.

Daryl drove for miles before pulling over to collect his thoughts. He briefly considered driving back and trying to pick up a trail, but knew realistically he wouldn't be able to find anything because of the storms of the past couple of days.

With a dejected sigh he started the car and headed home.


	4. Chapter 4

Carol had been wandering aimlessly for going on three days now.

Before leaving the house she had packed a bag with as much food and water as she could stand to carry. Upon a deep sweep of the house she had managed to find 2 more knives and a hatchet. The hatchet had been hanging on the wall in Charles room, the feathers and tribal markings told her it was definitely on decorative. However it was sharp so she had taken it.

She found a small cottage, but had only stayed one night. She felt too antsy to stay in one spot too long. She felt too vulnerable sitting still.

So she kept moving. Following a creek. She had been following for the soul purpose of hearing the water. She had always enjoyed the sound of creek water. It had always been comfortable. It was what her full mind needed right now.

She luckily hadn't met many walkers, but the ones she had were easily handled with the hatchet.

She was no stranger to sleeping outside on a cold night. She did miss having someone to share warmth with. Her small fires and stolen blanket were just barely enough to make her comfortable.

On this particular day it was unseasonably warm. The sun was bright, the sky a deep blue with a smattering of white puffy clouds. The air was just brisk enough to be invigorating.

Carol had been moving slower today, just soaking up the warmth, instead of her usual head down march she had adopted lately.

She was standing face toward to the sky when she heard the first scream. It was a woman's scream.

Carol looked around trying to pinpoint the direction it had come from. Fighting the surprising urge to just ignore it, she ran in the direction she thought it was coming from.

As she drew closer she could hear several other panicked voices shouting over each other.

When Carol finally saw the group they were surrounded by a small herd of walkers, of about twenty.

There was two women and two men .The men were fighting for all they were worth, but only had small knives. The women from what she could tell were unarmed, standing behind the men.

Dropping her pack on the ground she raced forward hatchet raised. She had the advantage of being behind the herd.

She had taken out five before the other walkers recognized her as food. She was aided by the fact her hatchet was very sharp and went in fast and came out smoothly.

She was in a zone taking out whatever she could.

She was brought back to reality by a startled "Whoa." from the man whose head she was aiming for. She immediately dropped her arm.

She took a few steps back taking in four very surprised faces.

There was a brief stare off before her almost victim got out.

"Where the hell did you come from?"

Carol pointed behind her. "I was out for a walk." she stated flippantly.

"Well you just saved our asses." the other man joined in. "That was the coolest thing I've ever seen" he stated excitedly.

Carol couldn't help but smile. The man who was actually closer to being a boy was looking around at the walker destruction excitedly. Carol took in the group quietly.

They were all probably in their twenties. They were clean, well as clean as you could be after fighting walkers, and healthy looking. She figured they were part of a bigger group. From the way they handled the herd she didn't think they would have lasted long without help.

When she turned to get her pack she heard a gasp behind followed by a whispered "She has bite marks." She quickly pulled her shirt back up where it slid down during the fighting.

"Hey did one of those assholes bite you?" the first man blurted.

Carol snorted and picked up her pack. "No the asshole who bit me was still alive."

The group looked uncomfortable until one of the women stepped forward. "Um… my name is Misty and this is Dawn." she said pointing to the other woman, who waved awkwardly. "And these two were Shiloh and Hank." she finished gesturing to the men.

Carol moved to the women "Why aren't you armed?" her words came out harsher than she meant for them to.

Misty and Dawn shared a slightly guilty expressions. "We don't really know how to use knives or anything and we weren't expecting to run into any deadies. We haven't really been seeing them lately." Misty finished lamely, looking almost ashamed of herself.

While thinking how stupid the name deadies was, Carol pulled two knives out of her bag. Opening one and making stabbing motions in the air. "If you can't run which you always should. Aim for the head. It's not rocket science." She closed the knife back and handed one to each of the women.

Each of the women both looked excited as they opened the knives and giggled at each other. "Thanks" they bother chirped at the same time, making the others laugh.

Carol gave a nod and turned to walk away.

"Hey wait." Hank said reaching out to catch Carols arm.

She jerked away forcibly, startling Hank in the process, his hands shooting up palms out in surrender. "Sorry." he said quickly. "You have to let us repay you. I mean you saved our asses." he stated hands still raised. "We could feed you a warm meal and give a nice place to sleep that's semi comfortable. It's indoors at least." he concluded with a shrug.

Carol thought a bit and then agreed. Her stomach winning over her desire to get away from the perky group.

"Mama was working on a deer before we left." Dawn spoke up, bouncing excitedly in place.

The group all smiled at that "Mama is the cook at home. Her name is Pam but everyone calls her mama. She can make amazing things from anything. You'll enjoy it." Shiloh spoke up with equal excitement.

The group picked up all of the discarded containers.

"We just need to get water." Hank announced heading toward the water.

After the water had been gathered. Carol helped carry the load to the truck sitting at the edge of the woods.

She had been offered the passenger seat while Mist, Dawn, and Shiloh all climbed into the bed of the truck. Hank was behind the wheel.

"There's about fifteen of us at home. We all basically stumbled up each other. Well me and Shiloh have been together sense the beginning." Hank explained "We watch out for each other. Have you been alone the whole time?" Hank questioned.

Carol didn't answer immediately, finally saying "I was with a group until just recently."

When she didn't give any more information Hank dropped the subject and continued to drive in silence.

The next thing Carol knew she was being gently nudged awake.

"We're home." Hank stated quietly.

* * *

Pam Wilby stood over a large pot filled with her "famous" deer meat stew. She used jars of vegetables from their garden they had canned during the warmer months.

Pam had started cooking as a way to keep her mind off how horrible the world was now. She used as much time of her day cooking. Just to stay sane.

The sound of an incoming vehicle put everyone on alert, but a quick call of "Ours." calmed everyone.

Anytime a group came back from an outing the rest of the group would go out to welcome them home. As Pam went out the door she knew something was different.

There was complete silence. Standing by the truck was a stranger. They hadn't had a new person in months. The woman was standing awkwardly, silently taking in her new surroundings.

Her clothes were almost black with dirt and filth. Her face had several nearly healed cuts. A particularly brutal looking slash at her jaw caused a shiver to run down Pam's spine.

The woman was the picture of exhaustion, her eyes were bruised with deep shadows. Her face pale, her shoulders slumped. She leaned against the truck as if the thought of holding herself up was just too much.

"Who's this?" Gerald, the closest thing to a leader the group had, asked Hank who was taking supplies out of the bed of the truck.

"This is um…." Hank turned to Carol. "She never said her name. She saved us though. She took out like twelve deadies all by herself." Hank finished with a grin.

All eyes turned to Carol.

"Carol" was her only reply.

"Well Carol." Gerald replied "You are more than welcome here."

Pam watched as the other all introduced themselves to the woman. She could tell she was a little overwhelmed. She was the last to approach.

"You look like your head is about to explode." Pam got a chuckle and shrug as her answer.

"How bout' you come with me and I'll show you were you can wash up. Supper will be done soon."

The building was a small warehouse. They had divided the building into several different sections. There was a sleep section, with an array of random mattresses that people had dragged from random places. All spread out on the floor for people to use at will.

Beside the sleeping area was a curtained off area for bathing. Then there was a common area and a cooking area, which consisted of a large homemade grill and prep area.

Pam moved the curtain to the bath area aside and motioned Carol forward. "This is where you can get clean. There's towels in that container there." Pam explained pointing. "Do you need something to wear?"

Carol shook her head in the negative. "Okay I will leave you to it. Just come to the grill when you're done." Pam finished nodding toward the cooking area.

Pam moved off and continued her cooking. She had just served the last person in line when she saw Carol. Standing awkwardly at the entrance of the cook area.

Pam caught Carol's attention and motioned her over.

"I hope you like deer meat." Pam announced passing a full bowl into Carol's hands. The woman immediately started shoveling the food into her mouth.

Carol was about six spoonfuls in when she finally acknowledged Pam's words.

"This is amazing." Carol spoke barely stopping chewing.

Pam gave her a large smile, always liking a compliment and ignoring the fact the woman probably would have said that about anything.

"Here sit down." Pam said to Carol pulling out one of the chairs. Carol lowered her herself into the chair while still stuffing food into her mouth.

Pam chuckled. "So I heard you were pretty amazing out there." She finally said. Shiloh had told her all about the incident. Gushing endlessly about Carol's impressive deadie killing prowess.

"I just did what I had to." Carol said quietly.

Pam snorted "No, we both know now a days most people would have just kept walking." Pam observed.

"You look exhausted. We have plenty of places you can sleep. Just as soon as you are finished I'll show you where to go."

Pam watched as Carol finished eating.

"I'll look away if you want to lick the bowl." Pam teased at the almost sad sigh Carol had let out after the last bite.

Carol let out a bark of laughter. Pam laughed with her.

Pam showed Carol where the beds were and she wasn't surprised when all she got was a quick "thanks" before Carol was dead to the world. She hadn't even removed her boots.

* * *

It was the middle of the next day when Pam saw Carol again. She stumbled into the cooking area her eyes squinted, hair sticking in all directions. Pam almost lost it when she yawned a huge yawn and then smacked her lips.

"Hey Carol." Pam called causing the other woman to startle slightly.

"You're just in time for lunch. We're having leftover stew." Pam volunteered.

"Sounds great" Carol responded, taking the offered food gratefully.

Carol watched people mill about while she ate her food, with the same gusto as before.

"So tell me about this place." Carol told Pam between bites.

Pam told her how she and Gerald were the ones to find the place originally. They had been alone for months before people started to wander in. Now they were all just a big family.

When Pam finished she noticed Carol deep in thought. Obliviously remembering something.

"What happened to your group?" Pam asked curious now. Hank having mentioned Carol mentioning a group.

Carol seemed to contemplate answering. Finally reaching a decision, she simply replied "I left." Without going into further detail.

Pam dropped the subject.

* * *

Pam was clearing the lunch mess with the help of Carol when they heard shouts from outside the open warehouse door. Dropping everything they rushed outside.

Pam gasped at the scene. Shiloh was lying next to a deadie, his hand bloody and short a couple of fingers.

Gerald was standing over him a gun aimed at his temple.

Pam was used to this part of their new life, but the thought of losing Shiloh was almost more than she could handle.

She saw Gerald's finger twitch before they were all brought up short by a shouted "Hey!"

Carol rushed to the two men pushing Gerald away from the prone man.

"What the hell are you doing?" Carol shouted again.

Gerald look at her shocked.

The whole group was standing around now.

"It's just his hand." Carol pointed out. "I need you to hold him down."

She looked around continuing her instructions "I need towels, lots of towels. Hank you help Gerald hold him and give me your belt."

No one moved immediately, but a shouted "Now." got everyone motivated.

Pam hadn't moved so fast in a long time. When she got to Shiloh's side he was calmly watching Carol tightening a belt just below his elbow.

"What's happening?" Shiloh asked shakily.

Carol shot him a glance. "I'm cutting your hand off." Carol stated simply.

There was a moment of stunned silence before Carol spoke again.

"Hold him."

Pam watched as Carol calmly raised her hatchet and brought it down swiftly.


	5. Chapter 5

Three days ago Carol had cut off Shiloh's hand. He had lost consciousness quickly and hadn't gained it back. On top of this he had developed a fever. Carol had been telling the group it was completely normal, but no one wanted to listen. Gerald had actually told Carol, as they moved Shiloh to a bed, that he would kill her if Shiloh died. She had barely managed to not to roll her eyes.

Everyone was giving her the cold shoulder, even Pam who was so welcoming in the beginning. It stung but she guessed, under the circumstances she would react the same.

She was sitting on the side of Shiloh's bed when he started to moan and thrash. Without missing a beat Carol took her knife out, ready to do what had to be done.

The episode was over quickly however, and when Carol felt his forehead she knew that his fever had broken. The relief she felt made her head swim.

Carol wasn't sure if the group knew or even cared, she could hear them. She could hear every word though, as they talked about what to do when Shiloh died. Carol sat and listened until she was distracted by a quiet "You saved me again."

Carol gave Shiloh a soft smile. "You really should work on that," Carol teased, running her fingers gently through his hair.

"How do you feel?" she questioned after a bit.

"It hurts so much," Shiloh answered looking where his hand used to be. "I don't really remember you doing it though," he continued quietly "I remember you raising your hatchet and me screaming and then seeing you standing over me a couple of times," he finally finished.

They sat in a companionable silence while Carol let things settle in for the younger man. "I found you some painkillers, and by found I do mean stole from someone's bag."

Shiloh smirked "I won't tell if you don't," he said laughing a little.

"I'm going to tell the others you're awake," Carol said moving to stand. Shiloh grabbed her hand with his.

"Thank you," he said quietly, with a gentle squeeze.

Carol smiled and gave him a squeeze back, going to the curtain dividing the sleeping area and the common area. She pulled it aside startling the group inside.

"He's awake," she stated simply.

She had to step to the side quickly to keep from getting knocked down. She went in the opposite direction of the group and headed outside. She needed the fresh air.

As she stepped outside she made a mental note to talk to the others about putting people on watch, when she saw that there was no one outside. They were behind a fence, but she had seen people carelessly leaving the gate open several times in the short time she had been there. The group seemed to do very little to protect themselves.

She was sitting outside in a chair with her feet propped on a crate, when she heard the sound of multiple feet shuffling in her direction. She had just put her hand on her knife when she saw Gerald round the corner, followed by Pam and Hank. They all looked a little guilty.

Carol relaxed back into her chair and watched them approach. Pam was carrying a bowl and her stomach growled. Since the incident they hadn't offered her any food. She had been munching on the leftover jerky she had in her bag, but that had run out early yesterday.

The trio stopped beside her and Pam wordlessly passed her the bowl of food. She took it and dug in immediately.

"We're sorry," Hank was the first to speak. "We were all more than a little freaked out," he continued "we haven't dealt with anything like that before. We thought for sure he couldn't survive that," he finished, actually kicking the dirt like a small child.

Carol decided not to point out the fact that Gerald had been about to shoot Shiloh. She decided it was best not to push her luck, definitely when good food was involved.

Gerald was the next to speak up "I think we've been a little sheltered here. I think maybe it's making us too soft," he looked at the ground "you've saved four of our own. One of em' twice," he finished shoulders slumped.

When it was evident he wasn't going to say anything else Pam took her turn. "We had no right to judge you, not after you saved the idiots in the woods."

Hank opened his mouth to defend himself, but was cut off by what Carol could only describe as the "mom" look from Pam. He just ended up crossing his arm and muttering under his breath, pouting impressively.

Carol actually laughed at the man, causing him to pout even more. Carol had finished her meal while the others had been talking. "Well I'm not one to hold a grudge, so if you promise not to string me to a tree and let the deadies get me," she paused letting the group know she had heard them talking, "then I have some ideas on how to help."

The others were all looking at the ground, all properly put in their place.

* * *

Daryl watched people in the yard from his perch on the tower. The woman who had given him the information on Carol was playing a game of chase with her daughter. The two were giggling and dancing around each other. He couldn't help the smile that pulled at his lips.

Since getting back from his failed search for Carol, he had mostly been keeping to himself, spending most of his time on watch. He knew it was wrong to avoid the group, he just didn't deserve to be happy right now.

He couldn't help feeling like a failure when it came to Carol. He failed in keeping her with the family and he failed in bringing her back.

He thought of her often. He missed her more than he thought possible. When they had found each other in the woods after Terminus, he had never been so happy. He had acted on pure instinct when he ran to her. Knowing he needed to be as close to her as possible. He had been shocked when she had held him just as hard.

He was often confused by their relationship, but knew he was happiest when she was near him. Now without her, again, he just felt lost.

* * *

_**One Month Later/ 8 Months after Carol Left**_

It had taken Carol a couple of weeks to get into the swing of things with the new group. Cutting off someone's arm wasn't always the best way to start a new relationship. It had saved Shiloh's life, so as soon as everyone calmed down she was a full-fledged member of the group.

She had taught the group ways to be safer on runs. Gotten them all used to being armed at all times, even just walking around the building. She taught them all the things that had become so second nature to her. She had even talked them into putting up guards outside.

Now she was sitting in the truck waiting for the others to finish their goodbyes. Leaving took forever, with everyone having a five minute goodbye. She was used to just a quick be safe and being on your way.

When everyone was packed in they set off. Everyone was nervous because this was the first overnight trip for the group. They were traveling out further than they ever had. The group consisted of Misty, Hank, Dawn, and a man Carol was unfamiliar with, but his name was Dusty. He was young and Cocky, but seemed OK enough.

Carol watched the landscape fly past the window. She could hear the others in the truck bed laughing and joking. Hank was quiet beside her. She knew he was still slightly uncomfortable around her from how the Shiloh situation had been handled.

Sometime later he finally spoke. "I actually had to talk Shiloh out of coming. He's biting at the bit to be more helpful."

Carol chuckled, "He's a tough kid."

"Oh lord, don't let him hear you call him a kid," Hank said dramatically. "He'll make you set down for a thirty minute presentation on why he's not a child."

"How old is he actually?" Carol asked curious now.

Hank thought for a minute. "He's barely nineteen at this point I guess. I was friends with his brother. Shiloh used to be the tag along. Shiloh watched his whole family literally be ripped apart. He was still covered in their blood when he saved me from the same fate. We've been surviving together since then," his story was cut short by the sight in front of them.

Across the road in front of them was four bodies. They had obviously been meticulously laid out as they were head to feet in a grotesque roadblock. The truck was close enough that Carol could see the gunshot wounds to the forehead that had caused the deaths.

She heard Hanks door open, but grabbed his arm before he stepped out. "Wait."

In the woods beyond the bodies she could see movement. It looked as if the wind was blowing the leaves but there was no wind today. "Have you ever shot anyone with that gun?" Carol asked in a voice much calmer than what she was feeling.

Hank gave her a questioning look, but shook his head no. He was about to ask why when gun shots rang out causing him to jump.

"Give me the gun," Carol said quickly.

He immediately passed it to her, watching as she opened the door and stepped out. "Get down. I'm about to do something stupid," she said as she moved to take cover by the truck, crouching in front of the tire.

Just before getting out Carol had seen the two gunmen, both were wearing ghillie suits. Laying down on the ground Carol moved to where she could aim around the front of the truck. She hoped by staying low she could take them by surprise. It was a bad idea but all she had at the moment.

She fired off her first shot and yanked her arm back as the dirt in front of her exploded with bullets. She jumped again when she heard gun shots from behind her, but then remembered she had seen a gun on Dusty's waist. She took the diversion of Dusty firing to move further out of her cover to see where her targets were. They both seemed distracted by Dusty for the moment so she took a shot. She managed to hit the closest suited man in the shoulder, causing him to grunt in pain and turn in her direction. She had just enough time to let off another round hitting him in the cheek, immediately she pulled the trigger again and this time hit her mark. He fell immediately.

His companion let out an enraged cry, which was cut short from one of Dusty's bullets. He fell to the ground but was still moving. Carol could hear his gasping breaths. Carol stood and watched as Dusty moved to the suited man's side. He pointed his gun at the man's forehead and pulled the trigger.

When everything was silent again, Carol became aware of sobs coming from the truck. She moved quickly to the back. The tailgate was down and she could see Hank in the back holding his blood stained hands over a wound in Mistys chest. The woman was breathing heavily and staring at the sky. Dawn was kneeling beside her hold her hand and sobbing. Carol turned her back, giving the family some privacy. She knew it would be over quickly.

* * *

Carol had been surprised when the group had decided to move on. They had taken Mistys body to a large field that she had loved and buried her there. It had been a surprisingly beautiful moment.

As they drove now, Carol's mind kept wandering to the family she left. She thought of them often, wondering what they were doing, if they had found a new home. Wondering if they missed her as much as she did them.

Daryl's face flashed in her mind. Him hugging her after Terminus, the complete shock of feeling him in her arms. Feeling him holding onto her for dear life, it had been amazing. She craved to feel that again, but knew that this was easier.


	6. Chapter 6

Daryl had never been so bored in his life. He supposed it was good he was able to be bored, but even before the world changed he didn't handle boredom well. Now he walking the perimeter, aimlessly. When he realized he was counting the slats in the wall, he knew he needed to get out of there and he knew it needed to happen quickly.

On his last pass around he ran into Rick, who appeared to be counting blades of grass. He was sitting on the ground Indian style, his head down and his face set in deep concentration. He was fingering individual blades muttering under his breath.

"Rick," Daryl said loudly, causing the other man to jump and curse. Daryl chuckled earning a frown from the startled man.

"We need to get out of here, go on a run or something. I'm going insane," Daryl remarked pacing now.

"Yes," Rick practically shouted, jumping to his feet.

* * *

The next day they had a car packed with provisions, and Maggie and Glenn with them. When the two had noticed Rick and Daryl getting ready to leave, they had all but begged to go with them. The group had been on the road overnight, having only stopped once to nap and eat. They were going further than they had in a while, mostly just to draw out the mini vacation.

Daryl was napping when he was jerked awake by the car coming to an abrupt stop. He looked to Rick, opening his mouth to make a comment on Ricks driving, but stopped short at the expression on the man's face.

Looking out the front windshield he saw it. Spread out in front of them was a sea of walkers. It was the biggest herd they had ever seen. They couldn't even see where the things stopped.

Daryl held on as Rick slammed the car into reverse and whipping it around and speeding off.

"How many do you think there was?" Glenn asked from the back, his voice tight with fear.

"There had to be hundreds. I couldn't even see the end of em'," Daryl answered his voice calmer, but still laced with fear.

They drove on for hours in silence, all lost in their own thoughts, when Maggie suddenly yelled "Stop!"

Rick slammed on the brakes again. Everyone looked at her questioningly, to see her pointing out the window with a terrified expression.

Not a hundred yards away was a small warehouse. They had passed the place once already and it had looked empty, now there was people running around and fighting for their lives. There was walkers flooding in non-stop through the broken down front gate.

Daryl could see people on the roofs with guns trying to help the ones on the ground. It was complete chaos. He knew if they didn't help, there was no way the people would last much longer. With a quick glance and nod toward Rick they all exited the car.

There was easily fifty walkers in the small yard despite the already considerable pile the fighters had made. Daryl fired all of his arrows, before dropping his bow and attacking with his knife. He was vaguely aware of where the others were, not wanting to get to far away from his group.

Daryl was in a zone taking out what he could, not even feeling the splatters of blood and brain hitting his body. Without warning he was pulled back roughly and landed on his back on a snarling and snapping walker. He didn't even have time to panic before a knife was slammed down violently in the eye of the walker. Daryl briefly me the eyes of his savior before they continued the fight.

What felt like hours later they all stood amongst the ruins breathing heavily, everyone trying to gather themselves. Daryl approached the man who saved his life and put out his hand. The other man moved to shake his hand but seemed to remember to late that he no longer had that hand. With a snort and crooked grin he just shrugged.

"Shiloh!" Everyone jumped at the shouted name.

Daryl watched curiously as a woman made a beeline for the man in front of him, practically pushing Daryl to the ground to get to him. Shiloh looked particularly embarrassed as the woman embraced him. Daryl let out a surprised chuckle when the woman smacked the guy across the cheek.

"That was stupid," she said in a scolding voice. The guy had the decency to look guilty.

Rick had moved to stand by Daryl as they watched the confrontation. As the woman turned her eyes to Daryl and Rick they both stood straighter, almost at attention. Daryl was sure he heard Glenn snicker behind them, but chose to ignore it.

"Thank you for your help," Pam said eyeing the group critically. "Where did you come from?"

Rick was the one to answer. "We encountered a large herd earlier and we were running. We saw ya'll from the road. You're not safe here anymore."

The rest of Pam's group were now standing around listening to the conversation. They all looked like they had been through hell.

"We still have people out there," Shiloh said into the silence.

Rick and Daryl shared a glance, knowing that most likely they were already gone if they were anywhere near the herd. Deciding not to say anything Rick made a quick decision. "We have a nice setup up in the mountains. Ya'll are more than welcome to follow us. Do you have any vehicles?"

"Hank has the truck. I mean the ones who were out getting stuff. They were supposed to be back yesterday, but obviously their not," Shiloh explained. He had seen the look that passed between the two men, but he refused to give up hope.

Everyone tensed at the sound of a vehicle speeding in their direction. They all stood tensely, weapons raised.

"It's ours," Shiloh said quickly. Everyone relaxed with a sigh.

The groups watched as a man and a woman stumbled out of the truck. Dawn and Dusty moved to stand in front of their group.

"Where's Hank?" Shiloh said panic and dread coloring his voice. He looked at the truck like he expected Hank to jump out any second.

Dusty looked uncomfortable as he explained "We lost Misty. We were ambushed and she was shot, but the rest of us got away. We were in an old cabin when it was over-run, deadies were everywhere. We had decided to break into groups. We got separated," Dusty looked distraught. "We tried to go back there was just too many.

Pam was holding Dawn as she sobbed silently into her shoulder.

"D….Do you think they could have made it out?" Shiloh asked through his tears, wiping at them roughly.

Dusty shrugged helplessly "There was so many," he said quietly, putting his hand on Shiloh's shoulder. "Hank and Carol are…"

"Wait. Did you say Carol?" Daryl cut off the other man "Carol has she been with you long?" he asked hopefully.

"No. She showed up a couple of weeks ago," Shiloh was the one to answer. "She's saved my life multiple times already, motioning toward his missing arm.

Daryl looked helplessly at Rick. "We can't just leave her."

Rick looked to Dusty. Dusty shook his head. "There's no way to get through the swarm. Their packed tighter than I've ever seen. We probably only have an hour or so before they reach us," he explained, feeling bad for the heartbroken expression of the man in front of him.

Rick agreed "We really need to get out of here," he looked to Daryl "I'm sorry we can't chance it. We will give the herd a few days to pass, then we will send out a group to search for them." Rick finished hoping to appease the man.

Daryl wanted to argue, but knew that it would be suicide to take on a herd of that size. He can only agree. He really wasn't surprised to be so close to her again and still unable to get her. Such was his life.

* * *

Carol found herself once again covered in walker guts. Hank had stared at her like she was insane when she had knelt by the corpse and started rubbing its innards all over herself. She had to practically tackle him to before he let her do it to him. He could only assume she knew what she was doing.

That had been two days ago. Now they were huddled together on the top of the trailer of an abandoned truck, listening as the herd passed below. After the cabin had been over run their camouflage had helped them travel long enough to find the trailer. Not wanting to push their luck they had carefully climbed to the top and hunkered down.

Carol could hear Hank breathing beside her. She used the comfort of not being alone to stay calm. She hadn't known the man long, but she knew she could trust him. That went a long way these days. The long hours of silence had allowed Carols mind to wander to things she had been able to avoid before.

She thought back to Sophia and Daryl mostly. Two people that had meant the most to her. She had let them both down so many times. She had let Sophia witness the unending abuse and then she hadn't been able to protect her from the new world. She had abandoned Daryl after he selflessly reached out to her after sensing her grief. She had been selfish.

She was brought back to herself by the feeling of Hank shifting beside her. She could feel wetness on her cheeks, she hadn't even realized she was crying. Wiping her face quickly she concentrated on what Hank was doing. He was looking over the side of the truck to the ground below. "It's clear," he said keeping his voice quite. They both sat up slowly, their bodies stiff from being in the same position for hours. The stood stretching and taking in their surroundings.

"I can't believe how bad we smell," Hank broke the silence.

"It got the job done," Carol said simply.

Hank gave a grunt of agreement. "What do we do now?" Hank looked to Carol expectantly.

Carol was quite for a bit, thinking. "I have no idea," she finally answered shrugging helplessly. "I guess we move toward the warehouse, but slowly. We'll find somewhere to hunker down. We don't want to run into the herd again. I say we find a place to wait it out. Then in a couple of days we will move back to your group."

Hank was nodding in agreement. "Do you think they will survive the herd?" he asked quietly.

"Sure," Carol answered, though she was sure she believed it. "We know that Dawn and Dusty made it out with the truck, so maybe they made it and warned the others." Carol could tell by Hanks expression that he didn't really have much hope. Carol sighed "Look we can only concentrate on us now. I know it's hard but there's nothing we can do for them now," she met Hanks gaze and gave her a nod. "Ok good. It's getting dark we need shelter. We're too exposed here."

They gathered the meager belongings they had managed to keep with them through the chaos. Hank was the first to the ladder and made his way down. He missed the last wrung and fell to his back with a groan. Hopping up quickly he exclaimed "I'm Ok," before bending at the waist and groaning again.

Carol tried to hold in, but a laugh burst forth anyway. The outburst earned her a raised middle finger from the ground, which caused her to laugh harder. It was her first real laugh in a long time and it felt really good.

* * *

It was nearly the next morning when they wandered upon a cabin. The cabin looked like it had been abandoned even long before the world ended. They were lucky though, the structure still seemed sound and there was plenty of furniture to block the windows and doors. As they got everything secured the morning sun was bright and beautiful in the sky.

Hank had barely even sat down before he was leaning against the wall snoring. It only took Carol a few more minutes to join him. They slept propped against the wall using each other for warmth.

It seemed like only seconds later Carol was jerking awake. When she got her senses under control she realized it was Hank moving around. Carol watched as he searched the place. After a while of muttering and shuffling things about, he let out a triumphant "whoop" as he pulled out a bucket. He then proceeded to plop and down and undo his pants. It was cases like this when Carol actually envied the men.

Hank let out a high squeal when he heard Carol mutter "That better be all you do in that bucket."

"You can't startle a man when he's pissin'," Hank said with a laugh, cause Carol to laugh with him.

"That was quite the scream you have there," Carol got out through her laughter.

"It was, wasn't it?" Hank responded flippantly.

After they calmed down and Carol took care of nature's call, they started taking stock of their situation. They had three bottles of water and four granola bars. They were filthy and covered in walker filth with nothing to change into. It was going to be a miserable few days, but what else was new.

* * *

Two days later they were hungry and miserable and decided it was time for them to head out. It was raining which made travel harder but was welcome to get some of the filth off of them. They trudged through the mud for hours without any problems, but eventually their luck ran out.

They broke out of the covering of the trees into an open field. In the middle was a small encampment. Hank and Carol both froze in place. It took them just a few seconds to move into action, but it was too late. They had been seen.

There was shouts from the tents as people started running about, most of them armed. Hank grabbed Carols arm and they turned to run. They were brought up short by two men holding guns. Carol and Hank raised their hands away from their bodies.

"We're not going to hurt you," the tallest of the men spoke first. Carol could tell from the way the other man's eyes ran over her body, she shouldn't believe him for a second. A quick glance at Hank told her he was thinking the same thing. Carol wracked her brain trying to figure out a way out of the situation. She couldn't think of a single thing.

She had given up when there was a blur and then something slammed into the two men knocking them into each other and then to the ground. It actually took her brain several seconds to put together what was happening in front of her.

Hank was rolling around on the ground with the two men throwing punches. Carol saw one of the men raise to his knees and adjust his gun. Before the man could even the about pulling the trigger Carol had her knife out and thrust into his shoulder. He cried out causing the other man to pause, allowing Hank to deliver a ferocious blow and knock him out. Without hesitating Hank and Carol took off running.

Carol had never run so hard in her life. She was behind Hank and she could see him glancing behind him every now and then. Carol could hear people behind her, she was surprised that there was no gunshots. She assumed they didn't want to draw any unwanted walker attention.

After what felt like hours she could no longer hear anyone behind her. She could only hear her blood pumping in her ears. She knew if they didn't stop soon she was going to collapse. When she knew she couldn't go on any longer Hank stopped abruptly, almost causing her to slam into him. She slid to a stop beside him, gasping for breath. She didn't feel so bad when she noticed Hank was having just as much trouble catching his own breath.

"I've never run that hard in my life. I think I pulled something," Hank said after catching his breath.

It took Carol a little longer to catch hers, but she was finally able to spit out "That was stupid."

Hank was nodding in agreement before she finished her thought. "Honestly I panicked. I knew nothing good was going to come from that. So I just acted."

"Even though it was dumb and extremely dangerous. Thank you. I couldn't think of anything. We were so lucky. That shouldn't have worked," Carol was coming off her adrenaline rush causing her to babble a little.

"I'm not sure where we are," Hank pointed out. "I'm pretty sure we're still going in the right direction though."

"Some of it looks vaguely familiar, from where I was wandering around before I found your group. If I remember correctly there's a small stream around here. We can feel our bottles," Carol finished as she was already moving in the direction of the water.

It took a while but they eventually found the water. They filled their bottles and washed themselves down a little more, removing what the rain wasn't able to. It didn't take long for them to finish. As they restarted their journey they felt slightly reinvigorated.

It took walking non-stop through the night but they eventually had the warehouse in their sight. Even from the distance they were they could see the place was over run. The fences were down and the walkers were everywhere. Carol could hear the walker's cries on the wind.

Carols knees felt weak, she tried not to think of the lives lost. Hank had dropped to his knees, his sobs causing Carols own tears to fall. Carol wrapped an arm around his shaking shoulders, offering what comfort she could.


	7. Chapter 7

It hadn't taken Hank long to gather himself again. After a brief conversation about whether or not to go search the building, they decided to leave it. Both because it was too dangerous and Hank didn't want to encounter any of his family. Now they were on the road again trying to move quickly, but not quickly enough to meet back up with the herd.

Hank was being strong and trying not to show his sadness, but Carol could see it in everything he did. She wanted to comfort him and tell him everything would be fine, but she didn't even believe that herself, so she didn't insult him with empty words. They had been traveling in silence aside from the occasional warnings about straggling walkers. They traveled for hours before stumbling on a mobile home deep in the woods.

The trailer had definitely seen better days, it was missing windows and there was large holes in the roof, but it was getting dark and they were exhausted. They secured it as best they could and then laid down to sleep. Carol awoke to the sound of Hank moving around. It was still dark outside, she could see him in the dim light of his flashlight.

"What's wrong?" Carol moved to sit against the wall.

"I keep thinking too much, I'm trying to distract myself," Hank said, annoyance coating his words. "I found us some clothes though. They were in the back room in a closet." He threw a t-shirt and some jeans at her. She held the shirt up and laughed out when she saw the front. At Hanks questioning stare she turned the shirt toward him. It took him only a second to burst out laughing. On the front of the shirt were the words "Dawn of the Dead" in red with a zombie behind them.

"You know, I actually really liked that movie," Hank remarked through the laughter.

"I did too," Carol responded still laughing. Standing and moving to the other room, she quickly changed her clothes instantly feeling a million times better. She still smelled horrible but the fresh clothing seemed to infuse her with a new energy.

When she got back to the living room she saw that Hank too had changed into different clothes. His mood seemed to have lightened a little as well.

"How good are you at hunting?" Hank asked out of the blue.

Carol let out a very un-lady like snort. "I'm not…...not even a little bit."

Hank chuckled "Yeah I'm not either." He moved to look out a window. "I think we should try though. We're both starving. Surely between the two of us we can get something," he finished, not sounding confident at all.

Carol shrugged "Can't hurt to give it a shot." She moved to stand by him at the window. "There was a guy in my group…" she drifted into silence. Hank nudged her shoulder bringing her back to herself.

"Sorry, Daryl he was our hunter. He was great at it, he kept us full of squirrels." She finished lamely. Hank gave her a strange look, but turned back to the window.

Outside there was a small yard and then woods on all sides. They both stepped outside into the yard and looked around. "What's the plan?" Carol asked, having none of her own.

Hank had his hands on his hips looking around intently and his face set in concentration. "No idea," he said succinctly. Looking around some more he met Carols amused gaze. "Well you're the better shot so you have the gun," he explained handing it to her. "Then I guess we just wander around and hope for the best."

Two hours and 4 bullets later they were still empty handed. Dejected they were on their way back to the trailer. Carol was lost in her thoughts when she felt a hand on her arm. She looked to Hank to see him pointing at a rabbit near a fallen log. They both stood frozen in place until finally Carol snapped out of it and aimed the gun. She fired the shot and hit the rabbit in the side. She was startled when Hank ran forward and jumped on the rabbit. It was still alive, but Hank quickly finished it off with a quick snap of its neck.

Carol was startled yet again when Hank jumped up with a whoop and ran to her and picked her up in a hug. She couldn't help but be caught up in his excitement and hugged him back. Hank finally set her down and went to pick up the rabbit. We walked to her looking at the rabbit proudly, but then stopped suddenly, "I don't know how to start a fire."

Carol looked at him incredulously, wondering how he had lasted this long without learning to start a fire. "I have matches in my bag, if that doesn't work there are other ways." Carol almost laughed at the look of relief that passed over Hanks face.

Sometime later they were sitting at a fire stomachs growling at the scent of cooking meat. "It's almost done," Carol said, flipping the meat. Hank was practically drooling already at the thought of food. A few minutes later they were sitting inside both silently scarfing down their meal.

"Tell me about your group." Hank requested quietly.

Carol stayed quiet and Hank thought she wasn't going to respond when finally she started. "I don't know what to say about them. I was with some of them since almost the beginning, we were a family" She paused seemingly lost in thought.

"Why did you leave them?" Hank asked into the quite

"I didn't want to see them die," Carol answered simply.

Hank nodded "I can understand that."

They were both lost in their own thoughts only to be brought back by the sound of a body against the side of the trailer. They both jumped quickly to their feet, but neither moved, they stood listening. The telltale groans of the dead filled the air. There was several more thumps and the groans and snarls got louder. As the walkers piled up against the outside the trailer started to shake and sway. Knowing that trailer lacked in structural security Carol made the decision to run. She pushed Hanks shoulder and pointed to the door. He nodded in agreement. Grabbing their bags that they had kept near them, they moved toward the door.

Carol readied her knife and quickly pulled the door open. There was no bodies in the front. Carol could hear them still piling up in the back. With a quick glance around they were once again running blindly into the night.

* * *

It took Daryl a week to get a group back to the warehouse. The herd had taken longer to dissipate than anyone had thought. Now him, Shiloh, Dusty and Glenn were all shifting through the warehouse. They had told the warehouse group that they would bring back any personal items they could for them. Daryl was trying to be patient knowing how hard it was to lose everything, but all he wanted to do was to go check the cabin where Carol had last been found. Their plan was to hit the warehouse and then search the cabin and surrounding area.

Several hours later they were on their way to the cabin. Daryl's leg bounced in agitation. He could only think of the possibility of finding Carol as one of those things. He was actually shaking at the thought of seeing her lifeless, staggering about jaws clashing at the air, forever starving.

"Daryl," Glenn said loudly causing him to jump out of his thoughts. "I called your name three times. Where are you man?"

Daryl shook his head and cleared his throat "Sorry," was all he said. Sitting up he saw that they were pulling up to a cabin. Daryl and Shiloh both jumped out of the car immediately, rushing into the building. They both quickly went through checking every corner. As Daryl exited out the back door finding nothing he almost dropped to his knees in relief. He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning he found Shiloh standing there with tears on his cheeks. Shiloh gave him a smile, Daryl gave a nod in return.

Glenn met them outside looking equally as relieved. "What do we do now?" he asked looking at the other two men.

Daryl looked around, "There's no way to track them," he said trying to make out footprints that just weren't there. "We know they at least got out of the cabin. We can search the woods, see if there are any signs of them." Everyone agreed and a short time later they were all walking through the woods.

There journey was uneventful until the stumbled upon a large field. There was an encampment in the middle, but the tents were in tatters and there was walkers stumbling around in the ruins. Not wanting to draw the unwanted attention the group quietly turned and went back into the woods. They continued on their trek, pausing briefly at a small creek to fill up their bottles. The walked for several hours, but never found any sign of Hank or Carol. Before they knew it they had circled back to the warehouse.

The sky was getting dark, "Maybe we should just stay in the warehouse tonight and go back for the car tomorrow morning." Glenn suggested. "We can keep a man on watch."

It only took everyone a few minutes to get settled into the warehouse. They had a brief meal of canned chili and canned peaches. Dusty volunteered for the first watch and the others eagerly accepted. Glenn was next up for watch so he decided to go ahead and get some sleep while Daryl and Shiloh side by side talking. Daryl had never been one for idle conversation, but something about the younger man made him comfortable enough to talk to.

"So how long have you and Carol been together?" Shiloh finally asked.

Daryl sighed "We were together at the beginning. There was a group of us at a quarry close to Atlanta."

Shiloh eyed him carefully "Is she you girlfriend or something?"

Daryl snorted "No, nothing like that. She's my…..." he paused searching for the word. He sighed again, "She's just Carol," was all he could think to say. Calling her a girlfriend or anything like that just didn't seem like enough. She was just his.

Looking at Shiloh he could see that he didn't understand. "So who's this Hank guy? He your boyfriend?"

Shiloh gave him a funny look a slight frown, "Uh…no," was his answer. "He and my brother were friends before the turn. I always considered him a friend, he always looked after me at school. I got picked on a lot and he would help me out. I lost my whole family and found him and we've been together surviving since. I don't know if I can do it without him."

Daryl look at Shiloh closely, seeing the fear he was trying to hide. "You can do it," said simply. "We go on living for the ones who couldn't."

Shiloh looked to be lost in thought, staring into the dark room. "We should get some sleep." Daryl said moving to lay down. Sometime later Daryl was awoken by the sound of someone moving around the room. Sitting up he saw it was just Dusty waking Glenn for watch. Knowing he wouldn't be getting back to sleep anytime soon he went outside to take a leak.

Seeing Glenn sitting in a chair in front of the building Daryl moved to sit by him. He sat on the ground with his back against the warehouse, "Do you think it's stupid to keep looking?" Daryl asked Glenn suddenly. An uncharacteristic hint of insecurity in his voice.

Glenn looked to Daryl surprised, "No of course not," he said with conviction. "You never give up until you know in your heart that there's nothing left for you to do. I know that it's not time to give up," Glenn finished.

Daryl looked Glenn over the same way that he had Shiloh. He couldn't exactly pin point when it had happened, but somewhere along the way Glenn had become a very close friend, the whole group had. In the beginning Daryl couldn't even stand the guy. It was strange how the world changed things these days. He would give his life for Glenn and knew that Glenn would do the same for him.

The next morning everyone was up early, Daryl and Shiloh decided to go further on foot checking the woods while Glenn and Dusty went back to the car. They would meet up the road. Daryl and Shiloh walked through the woods talking occasionally and taking care of walkers as needed.

Daryl and Shiloh wandered upon a mobile home in the woods. The walls were down and the doors and windows busted. Not sure why Daryl felt he should check the house anyway, just a niggling in the back of his mind. As they moved to the front yard they could see a makeshift fire pit. It could have been anyone, but Daryl couldn't help the hope he had in stomach.

"That was Hank's," Shiloh said pointing to a shirt laying on the ground. "He wore all the time."

"That's good, that means they changed clothes," Daryl said. "It looks like they had to leave quickly. Anytime there's no fresh walkers is a good thing though," he added wanting to comfort the man a little.

"We're not going to give up." Daryl said after an awkward moment of silence.

"I know," Shiloh said. He looked sad, but was putting on a tough front.

After a brief conversation on what to do, they decided to keep moving forward to see if they found any more evidence. They still had several hours before they had to meet the others. They walked in silence, both searching the area intently looking for any signs.

After wandering around with no luck they made their way back to the road and met with the other two men. Everyone piled into the car feeling dejected. They were once again going home empty handed.

* * *

"Is that a car?" Hank asked suddenly, looking around.

"Yeah I think it is," Carol answered. "It's moving pretty fast though."

Carol and Hank had been walking for three days with no luck in finding any shelter. They had been walking while only taking breaks for short naps while one watched. They were tired and mostly keeping to themselves only occasionally warning each other of danger. They were lucky enough to get another rabbit on their second night out. Now they were walking close to the road trying to find something for shelter.

"Which way is it coming from?" Hank said looking up and down the road. "Do we chance it or do we hide?"

Carol thought for only a second before saying "Hide."

They moved quickly away from the road, hiding behind the high brush and trees. As the car passed Carol could just make out four silhouettes. She had a brief flash that maybe they had made the wrong decision, but quickly pushed it down and the kept moving. It was another day of traveling before they finally got lucky and found a small farm house. The windows were boarded and it had very obviously been picked through once or twice.

"Oh looky what I found," Hank said from the kitchen. Carol looked up to see Hank proudly holding up two jars of pickled pig's feet. Carol got queasy at the thought of eating them and her stomach growled at the thought of food.

Hank chuckled at her "Apparently even at the end of the world some people are picky." He sat down beside her and handed her a jar. "I used to eat these with my dad all the time. For some reason he loved them. I mostly ate them just to see him smile," Hank remembered as he opened the jar. He watched as Carol opened the jar and sniffed it tentatively, wincing at the strong smell of vinegar.

"If I've ever had them I can't remember it," Carol admitted as she looked into the jar with a look of detest. After a minute of hesitation she dipped her finger into the slightly jelled mess and starting eating hesitantly. After a two bites she decided it was bearable and dug in with gusto. They were eating in silence with only the occasional sound of slurping feeling the room. She was left with only a liquid at the bottom of her jar when she looked to Hank. Hank was happily drinking what was left in his jar.

The sound of gagging made Hank glance at Carol. "It's the best part," Hank said, nudging Carol's arm with his elbow.

With only a slight moment of hesitation Carol lifted the jar and finished off the contents. Hank gave a laugh at Carol's grimace and laughed even harder when Carol finally said, "That was good," smacking her lips.

They stayed in the shelter of the house until hunger set in and they had to search for food. They were lucky this time and found shelter quickly. This time it was another small house, but was full of canned goods.

They had been there for four days when they were both pulled from sleep by the sound of voices. They grabbed their knives and Hanks gun and moved to the room furthest from the door, trying to give themselves time to judge the amount of threat they faced.

Carol heard the people talking, they were loud and seemed completely unafraid of bringing the walker upon themselves. She could hear both female and male voices. All laughing and making crude remarks toward each other. Carol was nauseous with dread. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Hank waving his hand to get her attention. He held up 6 fingers, which was the number she had figured there was also. She knew in her heart that this was going to be yet another battle for their lives.

They didn't have to wait long until they could hear footsteps moving down the hall toward their room. Carol gripped her knife tightly and took several calming breaths. Hank stood behind the door and Carol stood with her back toward the wall furthest from the door. They used the loudness of the group to their advantage, using the voices to know the number of people coming down the hall.

They were ready when the door opened. Hank let the first man pass letting him get closer to Carol. He took the second man. They both raised their guns, but never got a shot off as they were dispensed of with knifes to the throat, almost simultaneously. Hank and Carol both stood frozen, both surprised it had been so easy. Quickly grabbing the guns they retook their positions. Soon the rest of the group were yelling down the hall. They listened as someone was told to go check on the others.

A woman walked in the door her gun raised. Her eyes were huge as she took in the bodies on the floor. Her eyes flicked up to Carol and she snarled as she pulled the trigger. Her shot was knocked off target my Hank ramming her into the wall. Since they had already made so much noise he simply put a bullet through her temple, instantly stopping her struggle.

Even though they knew they were exposed they stayed in the room guns aimed at the ready. Again they heard footsteps, but the person stopped before they got to the door. From her vantage point she could see a head just slightly peak around the corner. The man seemed almost cocky as he put his full body into view in the doorway. Carol could smell the man's body odor from where she was standing across the room. The man's gaze ran over her body and she tensed, his look reminding her of how Charles and Jacob had looked at her. Like she was there for their entertainment.

He took a few more steps into the room, ignoring the bodies of his comrades on the ground, seeming to only have eyes for Carol. When he reaches the middle of the room Hank moves to attack, but is brought up short by the sound of a man and woman talking as they walk down the hall. Hank meets Carols gaze with a nod and Carol pulls the trigger, the first man dropping instantly. There was an instance of total chaos and then everything stopped.

Hank and Carol were left standing in middle of the room breathing heavily. "Why do we always run into the assholes?" Hank asked still panting slightly.

Carol gave a derisive snort, "We're just lucky like that."

They gathered the weapons they could and got out of the house as quickly as possible, not wanting to chance that there was more people in the group. They walked for hours wanting to put as much space between them and the old house as possible.

* * *

_**Three Weeks Later**_

The yard was abnormally busy, the bright sun and warm air bringing more people out into the fresh air. Daryl was actually enjoying himself walking around and watching people interact. Even though they had all been together for months now, it still surprised Daryl at how well everyone seemed to get along. He had even found himself having conversations with random people and not wanting to kill himself.

Shouts and commotion drew him to the gate. "What's going on?" he asked, not talking to anyone in particular. He was told that someone was coming up the hill. Fighting his way through the crowd, he saw a man slowly making his way up the hill, sliding and catching himself every few feet. Daryl had just raised his bow and was about to shout at the man when a blur streaked past him.

"Hank!" Shiloh shouted as he slid on his knees embracing the fallen Hank. Daryl followed quickly searching the area for any sign of Carol.

"Where's Carol?" He shouted grabbing Hank by the shoulders. Hank looked at him confused, before standing and looking around.

"She was right behind me," he said looking around more frantically now. "We got caught up in another herd, or the same herd I don't know. We ran and were fighting through them. She was right behind me," he finished, tears in his eyes.

All three men were standing looking into the woods when the first bodies stumbled out of the covering of trees, growling and snapping.


	8. Chapter 8

Everyone was nervous as the walls shook as the bodies slammed into them. The moans and snarls were louder than any of them had ever heard. Daryl stood in his perch watching the bodies still moving out of the woods. He tried hard not to think of Carol out there by herself, fighting for her life. He wanted more than anything to be out there with her, wanted to protect her. He refused to think that she wasn't still fighting, that she was one of those things.

"Daryl," Rick's voice drifted up to him.

Daryl looked over the edge to see Rick signaling for him to come down. At the bottom of the perch Rick, Glenn, Maggie and Michonne were all waiting for him.

"The herd is starting to thin. We thought you would want to be part of the group going to look for Carol when its time," Rick explained. Daryl gave a simple nod. "Hank said that they had to fight through herds before, she knows what she's doing Daryl," Rick continued feeling the stress coming off the other man.

"I know," Daryl said brusquely. "What's the plan?"

Eight hours later they were in the woods looking for Carol and taking out any of the left over walkers. An hour into their search they found their first clue about what might have happened. There was a significant pile of walkers all with knife wounds to the head. Someone had made a stand here. Daryl searched the area and came up short when he found a fresh body. It was a man, his throat was torn out, but a gunshot to the head had kept him from turning. As the group moved further they found five more bodies all bitten, but taken care of before they turned. None of them were Carol.

As the sky started to darken the group started back toward home. Daryl was trying to piece together where Carol fit into what they had just seen. He was brought out of his thoughts by the sounds of leaves rustling, raising his bow he moved slowly toward the sound. The others had all stopped as well weapons raised, covering Daryl from the back.

As Daryl got closer he could hear what sounded like crying, sobs and sniffles. When he could finally see the person he could tell it was a woman, but it wasn't Carol. The woman had her back to him, she was standing over something but from his vantage point he couldn't see it yet. As Daryl quietly moved around the woman he saw that on the ground was a small child, probably around 5 years old. There was an obvious bite mark on the child's shoulder. A gunshot wound to the head had taken care that she wouldn't turn, just like the others.

Daryl looked to the woman now, she had her own wound on her shoulder. The woman made eye contact with Daryl, before he could even open his mouth. She raised the gun to her temple and pulled the trigger. Daryl jumped at the sound and watched as she fell beside the child, her arm landing around the small frame forever protecting.

Daryl looked to his own group, they all stood silently tears in their eyes. They came back the next day and burned the bodies.

Daryl was sitting by himself outside in the yard when Hank came and a sat in the chair beside him. "I know she's still alive," Hank said simply.

Daryl looked at him closely, he looked like he had been through hell. "What happened to ya'll?" Daryl asked.

Hank shrugged "We survived," was all he said. Looking to Daryl again, "She is a fighter, you know this. She was armed. I don't know how we got separated. I guess I was just so excited about finding other people I left her. I know she was right behind me."

Hank seemed lost in his on world, Daryl simply listened. "We had to kill people. I've never done that, she said she had. She said it was just the way it was," Hank paused. "She can't be gone."

Hank looked to Daryl. "She can't"

* * *

Carol once again found herself running for her life. This time though she was alone. She wasn't even sure how she had managed to lose Hank, but one minute he was there the next minute gone. When she saw the herd she had started running in the opposite direction trying to out run around it instead of through it. She had seen other people, but had been unable to do anything for them. She had seen a small child and moved to protect her but was too slow and had to keep moving, just another failure to add to her growing list.

She had eventually stopped seeing walkers, but kept running to put more space between her and them. Now she was walking, she knew she couldn't be more than a few miles from where she had lost Hank and planned to go look for him, but needed to give the herd time to pass and needed to regain her bearings.

Walking close to the road she eventually stumbled upon a small gas station. Carol could tell even before entering it had been picked over several times, but the windows and doors were intact so she entered cautiously. She was met with the stench of death and the sound of snarling. There was three walkers were dispatched of quickly and pulled out of the door in the back. She couldn't risk burning them with a herd so close.

She searched the building only finding a few cans of food with no labels. She practically cried when she stumbled upon a bottle of hand sanitizer, immediately taking advantage of it. After securing the doors as best she could she made herself a little nest in an aisle toward the back, out of sight from the windows.

After settling down in a back room she started to think. She had gotten used to Hanks presence and now she was feeling a little lonely and exposed. Feeling her mind start to wonder to things and people she didn't want to be thinking about she decided to take stock of the supplies she had. She knew she would have to go tomorrow to find water, she had finished her last earlier that day and there was none in the store. She had a gun and a knife, four cans with no labels, the hand sanitizer and some candles. That was all she had to her name. She figured she could be doing worse. Her exhaustion eventually caught up with her, so using her lumpy bag as a pillow she was soon asleep.

Pain in her shoulders from her uncomfortable sleeping position caused Carol to wake early. She let out a un-lady like grunt as she moved to her feet, there was nothing like a night on a hard floor to make you feel your age. Moving slowly she took care of her morning routine and then sat down on a desk to eat breakfast. The can didn't have a label on it so she held her breath as she opened it, hoping for something good. She frowned and threw the can top on the floor when she discovered corn would be her breakfast that morning.

The corn had been underwhelming, but she was full. Now she was trying to figure where she was, with all the running the day before she wasn't able to place the area. She had paid little attention to her surroundings the day before. It was mid-day when she heard the noise she had been searching for, the faint sound of a stream. She immediately changed directions heading toward the sound. When she found it she paused a moment enjoying the beauty of the water, the she quickly filled her bottle and downed it, before filling it again along with two extras she brought.

As she was tightening the cap of the last bottle she became aware of voices. She could just make out what sounded like two women arguing. She sat and listened and couldn't help but chuckle when she realized the very heated argument was over berries. Not being able to help herself she decided to get a closer look at the feuding women.

As quietly as she could she moved toward the voices. They came into view right as the younger woman tossed a handful of berries into the other woman's face. The indignant look on the face of the woman hit in the face was enough to make Carol laugh out. The duo didn't hear her though as they had already started yelling again. It was only then she noticed a small boy sitting on the ground playing with a toy truck. He was around seven or eight Carol guessed. He looked bored out of his mind. Carol watched as he leaned over and picked up one of the fallen berries, but before he could even move it to his mouth the youngest woman knocked it out of his hand.

Sighing, knowing she wouldn't be able to just walk away from the obviously hungry trio she moved out of her hiding spot. The women immediately stopped arguing and both reached for the boy, pulling him to stand behind them. Holding up her hands Carol moved a little closer before saying, "You know there's an apocalypse happening. You can't just be yelling out in the open like this."

When she was close enough she stopped and looked at the berries they were arguing over. "Those are poisonous," Carol said casually. Daryl had given her a berry lesson once when they had been trying to avoid people in the crowded prison. Shaking her head slightly to keep from thinking about Daryl she put her bag on the ground. Kneeling to dig out two cans she opened them, before standing to hand them to the women. There was only a second's hesitation before they each took one with a thanks. Seeing that neither of them had any bags or any sign of water she gave them each a bottle of water, knowing they would share with the boy as they were both alternating bites with him from their cans.

Carol stood slightly awkwardly as the small family ate and drank like they hadn't in days, which of course was most likely true. She saw the oldest woman tense and gasp as she was looking past Carol. Carol heard the snarls before she turned. There was only two walkers but the terror was radiating off the small group. She knew immediately that they had no experience with the walkers. Pulling her blade from her belt she met the walkers half way and dispatched of them quickly.

When she looked back at the women they both had shocked expressions on their faces. Carol was impressed to see that they had again moved the boy to shield him behind them. Meeting the little boy's big blue eyes, she knew she wouldn't be able to leave them to fend for themselves. Wiping her knife on the ground she asked, "Where have you been hiding?"

The oldest woman was the one to answer "We had a small camp from the very beginning. It was a government set up thing. We haven't been out of the walls since it started," she paused a look of pain passing her face. "We were overrun a couple of days ago. There was a big cluster of them and the walls failed. We had a car and drove until we ran out of gas yesterday. Then we just walked."

"Which direction did you come from? What direction was the herd moving?" Carol interrupted.

The younger woman explained that they came from the west and the herd was moving in the opposite direction. Carol was relieved that the herd she had out run and this other herd wouldn't be meeting up anytime soon. "I'm in a store back that way," Carol said pointing. "It's too late now, but tomorrow we need to try to find you some supplies. You can't be running around unarmed and unprepared. You're just lucky that the walkers all seemed bunched together right now." She knew she sounded harsh, but she didn't care.

She told them to follow her and after stopping by the stream to refill their bottles they started back toward the store. There was no conversation and Carol was fine with that. By the time they reached the front of the store the sky was almost completely dark. Pulling out her flashlight and gun Carol entered the store first, telling the others to wait. Not wanting to take any chances that some traveler and stumbled upon her hiding spot. When the coast was clean Carol called the other in and blocked off the entrance.

Moving everybody to the back room she lit a couple of candles throwing the room in a dull yellow light. Turning off her flashlight to save batteries she sat on the ground motioning the others to join her. The women sat with the boy between them. There was an awkward silence until finally the youngest woman spoke, "My name is Robin, this is my mom Debra, and this is my son Liam."

Carol nodded, "My name is Carol."

Robin smiled seeming slightly more comfortable now that she knew Carols name. "Have you been alone the whole time?" Robin asked curiously.

Briefly lost in memories Carol didn't immediately answer. Then realizing the hanging question she simply answered, "No." Pulling the last can out of her bag she offered it and the can opener to her new companions. Knowing it wasn't smart to use up there last can of food so quickly, she couldn't let the Liam go hungry either. They would set out tomorrow to look for supplies and weapons. She wouldn't let these women be weak like she had been, not too long ago.

* * *

After a nice night's sleep Hanks mind was clearer and he had gone back out with Daryl again down the mountain and in the surrounding woods to look for Carol again. Hank knew that she would have kept running until she had felt safe and there was no real way of knowing which direction she would have gone in. He told Daryl as much, but the man had searched the entire day before returning to the camp with slumped shoulders.

"At least we know she out ran the herd," Hank said to Daryl later that night as they stood in line for food. Daryl only gave a nod. Hank wanted to say more, but he knew whatever he said wouldn't help any. He knew how he felt when he thought he had lost Shiloh. He didn't know the exact relationship of Carol and Daryl but he could feel the pain pouring off the man and knew there was a deep connection there. Carol hadn't said too much about her personal stuff, but he had felt that she was missing someone. Hank knew he would do whatever he could to get the two back together. He owed them both that much.

* * *

Carol was the first to wake up, she had slept sitting up against the wall allowing the others to sprawl out a little more. She looked at the others and they were cuddled in a pile Robin and Debra had their arms protectively over Liam. Carol felt very lonely despite the full room. Standing quickly and quietly she quickly moved out of the room, giving the others slightly longer to sleep. When Carol was able to see out the windows she saw that it was still really early. The sky was just beginning to lighten.

She stood staring out the window until she heard the others moving about in the small room. It didn't take long for them to come out of the room looking to take care of morning routines. Thirty minutes later and with very little conversation they were heading out the door. As much as Carol didn't want to go the opposite direction of where she lost Hank she knew that there was nothing in that direction that would be helpful. They would have to double back when the others were better supplied.

Having been behind the walls for so long the other two women were slightly out of shape and they had to take several more breaks than Carol had wanted. Nobody had complained not even Liam, who was simply walking quietly along with them. They had a slightly slower pace so his shorter legs could keep pace. They were making their way through a thickly weeded area when Carol paused, causing Liam to bump into her. She gave him a smile and he gave her a bashful one back. She looked up at the confused women and smiled. "These berries we can eat," Carol said with a chuckle pulling a berry off the vine and popping it in her mouth. "You can eat the red ones, but they aren't as sweet."

She smiled when Liam started eating them with gusto, and laughed out loud when he ate a red one and made an ugly face at the bitterly sour taste. They ate all the ones they could find from the sparse bush and then moved on. They all seemed to have a little more pep in there step and were making better time.

It was late afternoon when they happened upon a small shopping center. There was a grocery store and a shoe store and several clothing stores and even a sporting goods store. Carol didn't get her hopes up knowing most likely that they all had been picked over. She told the group as much, getting nods of understanding.

They started with a shoe store, the others were all wearing tennis shoes, which wasn't conducive to walker slaying. The shoe store had been picked through several times, but they were lucky enough to find new boots for them all. Carol had even replaced her beloved boots with a nice pair of hiking boots. They found some backpacks and stuffed some clean socks and extra laces in the bags. They were getting ready to leave when Liam decided he needed his own back and found a small bag with trucks on it. He put it on his back and gave the others a nod and they left.

They hit several clothing stores next and each changed into clean clothes, and Carol told them to each pack at least one extra set of clothes. Carol felt like a new person with new clothes on. After everyone was clothed with new duds, they moved to the sporting goods store. Not surprisingly the place had been picked through more than the others. After Carol took care of a lone walker they searched the place. When they finished, they each had a blanket and Carol had a new Leatherman that she found under a pile of junk. She had also found knives for Robin and Debra. She also found two machetes, keeping one for herself she gave Debra the other. Robin had managed to find a couple of small medical kits and emergency food packs. Carol shoved a couple of extra folding knives and matches into her bag, and with them all very impressed with their finds they left the store.

The sky was beginning to darken but there was still enough light to see the bodies moving in the grocery store window. They had the telltale shuffle of the dead. Carol counted five walkers but couldn't guarantee that there wasn't more hiding in the aisles. Giving Debra an assessing once over she decided it was worth the risk. "Are you ready for your first lesson?" she asked Debra.

Debra gave her a slight nod, even though she looked terrified. Leaving their newly filled bags with Robin and Liam at the side of the building out of sight, they stood in front of the door. "You aim for the head. Let them come to you. Don't rush. They're not quick but they will take you by surprise. You have a big knife try to stay as far away as you can. I'm going right you go left," after receiving a nod from Debra Carol opened the door and moved inside.

They worked quickly and quietly, there had been four more that Carol hadn't been able to see from the outside. Carol kept throwing quick glances in Debra's direction, but despite a few startled yelps she seemed to be holding her own. Carol had taken out six of the walkers but was impressed with Debra's first foray into walker slaying. When the last walker fell Debra face was flushed and her eyes bright. Carol knew the feeling she was feeling. That feeling of figuring out you could take care of yourself.

After telling Robin and Liam it was clear Carol took note of the grocery store. It smelled of spoiled milk, rotten vegetables and walkers. It was a combination, but there was a surprising amount of canned goods left and even two boxes of cereal bars. Carol immediately tore into one of the boxes and passed out the sweet bars. She figured they deserved a treat.

"I think we should stay here tonight. There's an office in the back we can hide in. We can block off the doors like we did in the gas station. It's too late to be wandering around outside," Carol observed. Robin and Debra nodded in agreement. Carol noticed Liam staring at her bag, she was confused for a second before smiling and digging out another bar and handing it to him. With a big smile he sat in the middle of the aisle and went to work eating his treat. Eating slowly this time seeming to savor every bite. The women chuckled at his innocent excitement.

After blocking off the front door and the door in the back they moved to the hidden office. It was bigger than the one in the gas station. There was a desk that they moved in front of the door and made themselves comfortable against the far wall. They were all low on water, having not found any during their search of the store. Taking the bottles and combing them into one bottle to share that night, they each took a small drink, even Liam only taking a small sip.

Carol was awoken by her head falling to her chest where she had fallen asleep against the wall again. The room was still dimly lit by a candle that they had lit upon entering. Debra was curled on her side asleep snoring softly into her makeshift pillow. Robin was awake watching as Liam drew on some paper that they had found somewhere. Carol watched the two silently. Robin was running her fingers through Liam's hair and every few minutes Liam would excitedly show her what he had drawn. It was mostly odd shapes Carol couldn't make out. She watched them for several minutes before Robin looked up and saw Carol watching them.

"He hasn't talked since we were attacked. I think everyone telling him to be quiet so the things don't get has him scared to talk. I keep telling him it's OK, but I don't think he believes me," Robin explained.

Carol watched Liam look at his mom and then go back to drawing. "It's a hard world for children to understand," Carol said thinking of Lizzie. She felt a tickle on her cheek and wiped at it realizing she was crying. Sniffling and rubbing her face briskly she sat up straighter, "Sorry, just thinking."

Robin gave her a curious look, but thankfully decided not to ask questions. Carol continued watching mother and son interact until she felt her eyelids growing heavy again. Shifting onto her side she used her new blanket as a pillow and went to sleep. It felt like only moments later she was being shaken awake. "There's voices outside," came Debra's frantic whisper. Sitting up quickly Carol motioned for silence. The voices outside were male and female, none of them familiar. They were exchanging vulgar comments between them and laughing loudly.

As the voices grew closer to the door to the office Carol and the others sat frozen. When the door knob turned and started to the door started to move. They all moved as one and pressed against the desk in front of the door. They sagged in relief when they heard the voice say that the door was stuck and move on.

It was an hour later and the people were still outside loud and showing no concern for drawing walkers. Carol could make out at least six different voices. Three women and three men. Carol looked around the office trying to figure out something to do. Just sitting and waiting was torture.

Carol lost track of time as she listened and waited. The sound of yelling and glass bottles breaking startled the office group, but they kept themselves from crying out. From the slurred state of the voices now Carol figured that the group was way passed drunk now. Eventually all the noise died down and there was only silence. Neither of them new how long they had been waiting, having lost track hours ago. Carol thought for several minutes before whispering, "I think we need to make a run for it. They are probably passed out. We have a better chance against them drunk than if they are sober. We don't know how long they plan to stay."

Robin and Debra both seemed hesitant, Carol didn't blame them. She didn't really think it was a good idea either, but was afraid of waiting without being able to tell what was going on out there. Silently moving the desk and collecting their things Carol grasped her knife tightly as she eased the door open. Relieved to see that was still plenty of daylight outside Carol peaked her head out of the door. The place was even more trashed than it had been with five bodies piled together in the center of the bread aisle. Carol was certain there had been six voices so she looked for the sixth. Not seeing anyone she looked to the others in the office. "Stay here," she whispered as she moved out of the room silently.

As she stood silently listening she could just make out the sound of liquid being poured. Frowning slightly she moved toward the sound. As she approached the aisle the sound was coming from she saw a man reliving himself, giggling as he peed on shelves and floor. Rolling her eyes she moved as quietly as she could. Just as she got behind him her shoe squeaked on the wet floor and the man turned quick slashing out with a knife he had removed from his waist with astonishing speed considering he was plastered.

She looked at the snarling man easily reading his mind as he lunged toward her. Knocking his knife with her fee hand she plunged her knife into his stomach falling to the ground with him and covering his mouth as he let out a loud groan. Pulling the knife out of his stomach and plunging into his chest. Her hand kept him quite as he grunted. She held the hand over his mouth until she felt his last breath expelled against the back of her hand. She felt nauseous as she looked as his eyes staring wide and lifelessly up to the ceiling. Making a quick decision she removed her knife again and slammed it harshly into his eye socket.

Moving silently passed the still unconscious dog pile, she opened the door to the office silently motion the others to be quite. She motioned for them to follow her. Taking her bag from Debra she moved the group toward the door. She was proud with how silent the other three were. Once outside they all noticed an ugly rusted SUV that hadn't been there before. Moving toward it immediately Carol went to the driver side and was actually surprised to see the keys in the ignition. Hopping into the vehicle she started it up. The others quickly hopped in back and she tore out of the parking lot, no longer caring about volume.

The further they drove and the more the adrenaline left her body, Carol became increasingly aware of a pain in her hand. Not wanting to look at it until they were able to stop somewhere safe away from the road. After a bit she found a dirt road and turned down it. Driving down it a bit they were surprised to see a rather large house at the end. Telling Debra to follow her Carol got out of the car.

Standing in the entryway carol banged her fist against the wall. There was no sound from within, there wasn't even the smell of death that seemed to permeate every part of the world these days. Doing a room to room search anyway, they found everything intact from when the house was abandoned. There was a full pantry and the cabinets were full. Carol tested the faucet out of habit and wasn't surprised when nothing happened. Checking out the back door she was delighted to see a garden that had managed to grow several different vegetables.

Moving into the kitchen she found the others sitting in stools at the kitchen counter. They had a pack of water on the counter each enjoying a fresh bottle. Debra handed Carol one noticing the grayed haired woman seemed very pale, "Are you OK Carol?" she asked concerned.

Nodding Carol put her hand on the counter blood dripping from her fingers. "I hurt my hand," she said weakly starting to feel a little light headed. Carol was startled when Debra blurted out a loud, "Shit," and then attacked her hand with a towel that had been on the counter. Grimacing as Debra added pressure to the injury.

After what seemed like hours Debra removed the towel and peaked at the injury. The wound was in the meat of her palm. It was deep but not deep enough to hit anything important. "You'll need stitches," Debra said bluntly. Carol just nodded. "I can do them, but I haven't done them in a while," Debra continued. Carol gave her a raised eyebrow and a hollow, "Yay."

An in depth search of draws in the house produced a needle, thread and luckily some peroxide. Carol sat calmly at the kitchen counter watching curiously as Debra continued to look through the cabinets. Before long Debra was letting out a triumphant whoop and holding up a bottle of gold liquid.

"Drink up," Debra said with a chuckle. Carol had always been a light weight when it came to alcohol, so it didn't take long for her to start feeling the effects. She thought briefly of how jealous Daryl would be if he knew she was drinking whiskey right now. No matter how much she managed to drink the whole ordeal was extremely painful. No matter how used to pain you were getting stitched up when no pain killers sucked.

"All done," Debra said finally.

Carol looked at the wound and was impressed with the neat stitches. Frowning and still looking at her hand Carol slurred "How'd you do that?" Holding her hand closer to her face didn't bring about any answers either. Debra laughed causing Carols head to jerk up, throwing off her balance. She swayed dangerously on the stool and Debra grabbed her before she could tumble off.

As Debra helped Carol to the couch in the living room Carol started giggling, "I'm floating." She said quietly like it was a secret. Debra chuckled and helped Carol lay down on the couch. Carol got a serious expression as Debra pulled a blanket over her.

Debra smoothed Carols hair off of her forehead "What is it?" she asked quietly.

Carol sighed deeply, "I left him," she said tiredly, a tear leaking out of the corner of her eye.

Debra wanted to ask who, but Carol was already asleep.


	9. Chapter 9

_**4 Months Later**_

Daryl looked at the group sitting around him. They had been on a long run and everyone was dirty and tired, but in good spirits after finding a garden full of fresh vegetables someone had managed to grow. They were sitting around a small fire in the middle of a warehouse, feasting on the first fresh food they had in the two weeks they had been on the road. They were smiling and laughing as they told humorous stories of their lives before the turn.

There was six of them, usually there would be eight, but Shiloh and Hank had stayed back to help with repairs around the compound. A run crew had returned with an abundance of building material and Rick had decided it would be smartest to start the repairs immediately, pulling people from the three run groups to help the construction crew to make it quick. Without them the group consisted of Renee, who was Shiloh's girlfriend and had initially started going on the runs to stay close to the young man, but Daryl had quickly learned she was smart and quick on her feet, a good addition to the group. Kristen on the other hand had set her eyes on Daryl from the first day at the compound. She was always bringing him food, water and checking on him constantly. At the beginning he had been annoyed and angry at her. The more she persisted and the more time he spent with her, she started to grow on him and he didn't mind the attention. She was pretty enough and the one time she had caught him by surprise and kissed him, hadn't been as horrible as he would have thought. Now she sat leaning against him with her hand on his leg and he was allowing it. He was still confused with his feelings. Even though, much like Renee she started the runs to be near a man she had become an integral part of the group with her uncanny ability with strategizing. Glenn and Maggie were much like Daryl and preferred runs over staying in the crowded compound for extended periods.

Everyone tensed as a body walked out of the shadows, but immediately relaxed when they saw it was Jace. Jace was the most recent addition to their little club. He was young, but he was the largest of the group. His strength was impressive and he came in handy with heavy objects. He wasn't much for conversation, but in Daryl's mind that wasn't a bad quality. The group had become close after many close calls. Daryl trusted them with his life and he would give his for them.

Daryl was awoken from a dead sleep by a shrill whistle, signaling possible danger. The whole group was on their feet almost immediately. Renee came quietly around the corner motioning the group to be silent, "A group just made it in the door. I saw three."

They were in an old warehouse that had made car parts at one point. They would use the machinery for protection and defense. After a series of hand gestures they were all in a defensive stance, knowing they had the upper hand. Listening to the other group Daryl was surprised at how quiet they were. He was almost impressed.

After a few more minutes Daryl saw the beams of 3 flashlights swinging about. Soon the beams stilled and Daryl heard a male voice say calmly, "We aren't alone." There was a bit of commotion before Daryl heard the tell-tale sound of a gun being cocked. "How many do you see?"

At the question Daryl unconsciously tried to make himself smaller. "I see four from here." Daryl jumped slightly as a voice came from somewhere above them. Some had made it up onto the catwalk above them. Knowing they had lost the upper hand Daryl started to reassess the situation.

"How hard are you going to make this?" the voice asked casually.

Daryl heard the unspoken threat in the man's voice and knew there was only one course of action. Letting out a quiet whistle he got the attention of Jace and Renee, who were hidden in the dark nearby. Just barely able to make out their faces he gave a nod to the door between them. The door led to a small office and Kristen and Renee had come up with the idea of trapping some walkers that had been wandering around the building. The idea was to release them as an element of surprise for any threat they might face. Daryl had hated the idea but had been out voted. They had taken hours to wrangle a dozen walkers into the room. They had placed a desk in front of the door outside the office for added insurance.

With another nod Renee and Jace moved the desk quickly and quietly and opened the door. The group moved to quickly behind shelves and machinery they had placed strategically to protect themselves from the walkers. Almost immediately the walkers burst forward. The sounds of their growls and snapping teeth filling the silence.

The sounds of the walkers were soon joined by the sounds of struggling. There was three shots before Daryl heard the clicking of an empty chamber. Seconds later the room was filled with screams as the other group was overrun. He winced when he heard the screams of a woman. When the sounds of the attack died down and only the sound of the walkers remained, he gave a shrill whistle getting the attention of the others. He motioned for them to move forward. At some point the sun had begun to shine through the sparse windows in the building allowing the group to see the carnage in front of them. There was still walkers feeding the grotesque squelch of skin being torn away from bone filling the air.

Daryl jumped at the sound of gunfire in the air. In quick succession the remaining walkers were all put down. All of his people turned with weapons raised, but were brought up short by the sight of Kristen standing with a bloody knife at her throat. Nobody made any moves. Daryl couldn't help but feel a familiarity at the figure holding Kristen. Their face was hidden by a hood and the shadows of the room. The gray hoodie was saturated with what looked to be walker blood. Daryl knew that stance though.

The tense standoff was broken by a brittle voice "Liam?" The mysterious new comers head immediately snapped to the source. Daryl heard the gasps from Glenn and Maggie as Carol pulled off her hood and rushed to the side of a fallen woman. Carol kneeled next to Robin, taking hold of her hand. Meeting her eyes Robin whispered "Liam?"

Carol looked past Robins shoulder. She could see the small lifeless body laying only feet away. Squeezing Robins hand and plastering on her best smile "He's safe," Carol said, voice breaking with emotion. Robin smiled serenely and slowly faded away.

Daryl watches as Carol brushed the woman's hair once and then put her knife efficiently through her temple. Then she stood quickly and turned cold eyes on the group. Yanking her hooding off and revealing a shirt that was only slightly less disgusting as the one she removed, she wiped off her knife. "Since when do you just kill people," Carol asked still eyeing the group.

"Do you know this woman?" Jace asked incredulously, picking up on the others reaction to the woman.

Silencing Jace with a race hand Carol continued "You killed innocent people," she said gesturing to the woman and the boy.

"Hey!" Kristen spoke now, "We assessed the situation and did what we needed to do."

Carol snorted "You didn't assess anything. If you had you would have known there was a child and…" Carols voice broke and she looked away.

Jace spoke again, defending, "It's not our fault your group was stupid enough to bring a kid in here," he was cut off by an angry glare.

Carol took a step toward the man "He was taken with his mom from out camp two day ago," pausing and gesturing angrily toward the random male bodies on the ground. "Those pricks took them. They killed Debra and took them. I was gathering wood and took off after them when I realized what happened. I was so close," she concluded in a whisper, her shoulder slumping.

"Carol," Maggie said approaching her slowly. Carol took a step back. Maggie paused, "You know there was no way we could have known that was going on. We defended ourselves, that's what we do now," Maggie said softly. As she took another step wanting to comfort the other woman Carol stepped back again, shaking her head, "Not yet." She said simply. Maggie gave a nod and stayed where she was.

Carol stood taking in the group, ignoring the ones she didn't know. They all looked older and more tired, but clean and healthy. She was actually glad about that. Gesturing vaguely toward the strangers "How did this happen?"

While she listened to Glenn and Maggie recount the story Carol could feel Daryl staring at her. She was not letting herself look in his direction, not knowing how she would react upon seeing his face. She had so many conflicting feelings rushing around in her brain she almost couldn't handle it. She was happy to see the familiar faces, but heartbroken over the loss of Robin and Liam. Carols mind wandered to the night before they were taken when Liam had spoken for the first time since she had met him. He had told her how he was happy they had found her.

Becoming aware of the silence she snapped back to the present. The others were giving her mixed expressions, some were sympathetic others were untrusting. Suddenly feeling very weary she asked randomly "Do you have any water?" Maggie was the closest and immediately handed over her canteen. Even though the wanted to guzzle the whole thing she controlled herself and only took a large drink. The water only seemed to make her thirstier. She simply ignored it.

"Can we move away from here please?" Renee asked into the silence. Everyone agreed and moved to the other side of the building, but not before Carol moved to Liam's body and cover his face with her discarded shirt. Having nothing else to do it with.

Carol noticed that she was being kept in the middle of the group, she didn't blame them she wasn't feeling her most mentally stable at the moment. She was trying her best to ignore the serious side eye she was receiving from the strangers in the group. When they were away from the carnage of before Carol sat on the floor against the wall with her head back. "I don't know your plans are, but you should plan on staying here for another day at least. There's a herd nearby. It's not huge but it would be best to just let them pass," her last words were slurred as she slowly slipped into sleep.

Daryl almost couldn't believe that Carol was actually in front of him again. He hadn't been able to looking at her since he realized it was her. She was thinner than he had ever seen her. She was so filthy he couldn't really make out the features of her face. There was a new stillness to her that he could see even as she slept. As if she had read his mind her eyes opened and he was staring into her startlingly blue eyes. She didn't make any movements, simply stared until her eyes closed again. Looking over her again he noticed her knife still clutched in her hands. This wasn't the woman he knew before.

Seeing the others huddled in a group talking quietly he moved toward them. "She doesn't seem stable," Kristen was saying as he approached. When she saw him she changed her tone, "Are you okay?" she asked her voice full of sympathy. Daryl ignored her.

Annoyed now Kristen continued her rant, "In case you forgot she held a knife to my throat and you haven't even bothered taking her weapons."

Before she could say anymore Maggie spoke up, "If she wanted you dead, you would be dead. You can trust her," she explained, even if wasn't completely sure. Looking at the sleeping woman, she could only imagine what she had been through.

"OK. We have more pressing matters here. You heard Carol, there's a herd, we need to figure out what we're going to do," Glenn spoke, always the voice of reason. "Someone needs to go outside check it out and we need to check supplies and regroup."

After assigning duties they split up. After a quick check outside, they knew they would be staying a little longer. They were good on supplies, though they would have to be easy on the water. It was a couple of hours later when they settled down around a small fire. There was two different conversations happening simultaneously as they discussed strategy. Daryl kept throwing glances in Carol's direction. She was still and silent, sleeping against the wall.

There was a lull in conversation with everyone lost in their own thoughts when Carol yelled out and jerked awake, her grip tightening on her knife. Almost instantly her grip loosened and she looked around getting her bearings. "Why is no one watching the door?"

"We're secure," Daryl said gruffly.

Carol actually snorted loudly, her voice dripping with sarcasm she replied, "Like you were secure earlier."

Daryl met her eyes evenly, "We're still alive."

Carol rose to her feet quickly, using the wall to steady herself when her head started spinning. When it stopped she wordlessly walked away. The group sat awkwardly until they heard the door open. Everyone looked to Daryl for direction. "She made her choice," he said, even though he wanted nothing more than to run after her and drag her back and never let her out of his sight.


	10. Chapter 10

Daryl was surprised when he found himself waking up to the sun coming through the windows. He didn't mean to go to sleep, but the stress of the day before had finally won out. He could hear the other moving about and talking quietly. He heard his name being mentioned and knew it was Kristen talking, but couldn't make out her words. Deciding he didn't care he rose to his feet and stretched, his back popping loudly. The sound of the door opening brought them all to attention. Daryl thought briefly that were stupid for not barricading it. Everyone relaxed with audible sighs when they say it was Carol.

This time Maggie didn't give her time to object and grabbed her in a hug. Carol seem surprised but, but briefly placed her hand on Maggie's back before pulling away. Stepping away from Maggie Carol spoke to the group, "I needed some time alone. There's a ladder to the roof I was up there." Carol could see the group didn't particularly believe her, but didn't care. "It's a good thing I was up there. There is a group of people heading this way. I counted fifteen. Their armed, but have children. I don't know if they are a threat." Everyone reached for their weapons, but Carol's next words stopped them. "They aren't our biggest problem. I can see a lot of smoke above the woods behind us. I can't see the flames, but the fire has to be huge. There's a slight drizzle working in our favor."

"When did we step into a B movie?" Glenn asked drolly, easing some of the tension the new brought.

Everyone chuckled with the exception of Carol who stay stone faced. Daryl found himself annoyed. "What you can't even smile now?" Daryl asked. Everyone quieted waiting in the tension filled air. Daryl actually flinched at the look he received from Carol. Ignoring his statement completely she got back to the point. "I'm going to go check the fire, you all can stay here and handle the people."

She was cut off by a dismissive snort from Kristen. "You seriously think we believe your coming back?" she asked incredulously.

Glancing in her direction briefly Carol, turned her body effectively dismissing Kristen. Kristen stepped forward, but was stopped by restraining hands. Carol could hear the 3 women arguing quietly amongst themselves.

"I'll check it out, maybe we can us the fire to our advantage. I'll be back as soon as I can," she finished finally. Turning to leave she was stopped by a hand on her arm. "Will you be back?" Daryl asked softly. Pulling her arm from his grasp she met his gaze, "Yes," was all she said before turning and moving toward the door. She almost made it before she was stopped again by Maggie saying her name. Turning she saw her approaching holding a couple of food bars and a canteen. Maggie hugged her quickly and whispered a quick, "Come back." Carol gave her a nod and then she was gone.

Daryl was getting tired of watching Carol walk away. Even if she did keep eventually coming back. Bringing himself back to the present he noticed the others looking at him expectantly. He used the time it took to pick up his crossbow to clear his mind of everything but the task at hand. He started talking, "We have the upper hand. We know they're coming. We're out numbered though. It sounds like a family group so hopefully they won't be hostile. Everyone check your weapons. We will let them show their hand first."

They were already in position, spread out where no one would get behind them. The door rattled and then opened. Daryl almost laughed when a man poked his head in the door and then quickly pulled it back out. There was a moment of heated whispering before Daryl saw two hands raised palms out in the doorway. "We're just looking for shelter," a shaky voice said before the head reappeared in the door again.

"Are ya'll armed?" Daryl asked even though he knew the answer.

"Yes," the man answered honestly, moving into the doorway completely, hands still raised. Daryl could see a gun at his waist.

"How many of you are out there?" Daryl continued questioning.

"Fifteen, four men, four women, seven kids. We had a camp but it was overrun a week ago. We've been moving ever since. There's a whole group of shufflers only a few miles behind us," the man explained.

Daryl eyed the man, not really getting any feeling of a threat from him. "Ya'll come in but keep your weapons put up."

The man nodded and leaned out the door giving his group the instructions to put their weapons away. Then the group started to enter one by one. They were all wet and dirty and exhausted. Daryl watched them closely trying to get sense any threats. All he saw was another group just trying to survive.

* * *

Carol was moving slower than she wanted but lack of food and sleep was taking its toll. The nap and food bars from Maggie had given her a slight energy boost, but that had been used up quickly. She was lost in her own thoughts when she heard a rustling noise and what sounded like something whining. Looking around she didn't immediately see anything. Then out of the corner of her eye she saw movement. She realized quickly it was a little dog. Its fur was matted and black with filth. She could see its pink tongue and white teeth as it panted happily at her. It ran to her and put his front paws on her leg. She could see an angry red mark on its back that looked to be a burn.

Carol had been smelling the fire for several minutes and the area had been filling with smoke. Not too far off she could just make out the orange glow of the flames. Knowing she was getting close to the fire, or more likely the fire was getting closer to her. Making a quick decision she picked up the dog and moved toward the flames. It didn't take long for her to be confronted with the wall of flames. The steady rainfall was keeping the flames from spreading too quickly, but the flames were too big to be put out with a little rain. It wouldn't be too long before the flames reached the warehouse, they would have to move quickly. Holding the dog tightly she took off in a run, her earlier exhaustion exchanged for adrenaline.

She hadn't made if far before she started seeing walkers sporadically shuffling through the woods. Thinking quickly she stuff the dog under her shirt, tucking it in the front of her pants making a pouch, feeling lucky it was a tiny little mutt. Pulling her knife out of its sheath she slowed her steps, trying to not draw attention to herself. She was actually grateful for the walker gunk still left on her from her bout with them yesterday. The scent on her and the smoke in the air seemed to be keeping the walkers from realized she was a meal.

She had made it past at least five walkers before her luck ran out. Just as she was slowly making her way past two walkers the dog decided to let out a loud howl, to show his displeasure of being kept in a shirt. Carol froze as two sets of dead eyes zeroed in on her immediately. Cussing the dog profusely under her breath she took the walkers down quickly and then took off in a run as several others turned in her direction.

It wasn't long until she could see the back of the warehouse. There was at least ten walkers bunched up against the side of the building, somehow knowing there was food inside. Again moving as quietly and quickly as possible she moved around the opposite side of the building. Before moving around the front, she peaked around the corner. Off in the distance she could see a herd much bigger than what she had just dealt with coming toward them. They were out of time.

Moving quickly to the door she pushed through, causing one of the women on the other side to shout out in surprise. Ignoring the woman she went to find the others. After a quick search she found, Daryl, Glenn and Maggie huddled together in a group with two men she didn't recognize.

As she approached she wasn't surprised to see Daryls head pop up. When their eyes met he gave a small smile, ignoring the flutter it caused in her stomach and concentrating on the task at hand she started talking. "We're out of time, we have to move now. We have only minutes before the herd is right on top of us," pausing long enough to pull the dog out of her shirt she continued. "The fire is huge several yards deep and heading this way. The rain is working still working in our favor. I say we use it to our advantage," she paused again when she felt a tug on her shirt. She looked down to see a girl about five years old. She pointed to the dog and used her hands to make gimme motions.

Handing the dog to the little girl she warned, "He has a bad place on his back that hurts if you touch it. Don't hurt him OK?" The little girl gave a somber nod then carried the dog to a group of women and children with a smile on her face.

Getting back on track she continued to relay her plan, "I'm assuming those vehicles are yours," she said talking to Daryl. At Daryl's nod she continued, "We put the kids in the cars take them down the road to safety. The rest of us try to redirect the herd toward the fire."

She was interrupted again by one of the men pointing out, "Fire doesn't kill em'."

"I know. The fire is big enough that they will burnt up enough to immobilize them. We won't get rid of the whole herd but we can make it more manageable for whoever is unlucky enough to encounter it." Carol argued back.

"Or we just have a bunch of flaming shufflers," the guy countered again.

"They'll still be going the opposite direction, we'll be able to get out and go the other way and not have to deal with them." The man started to open his mouth to argue again, but sensing that Carol was about to lose it on the guy Daryl stepped in.

"It's a decent plan and the only one we have. Maggie and Glenn can take the kids and one of your group to a store that's down the road, then come back for the rest of us." He waited for every ones agreement. "OK, go tell your people what's happening. Ya'll go get the cars ready," he told Maggie and Glenn who immediately moved into action.

"No wait," Carol warned. "There's a group of about ten walkers outside." Motioning to Jace Glen nodded toward the door. Suddenly stopping them again Carol grabbed each of their hands giving them a quick squeeze. "I'm really happy to see you again." Maggie gave her a huge smile before following Glenn to the door.

Carol watched as Maggie, Glenn, and Jace along with a man and woman from the other group talked briefly and then moved cautiously out the door.

All at once everyone was rushing around getting the supplies and kids ready to move quickly to the cars. Only a few minutes passed before Glenn opened the door and ushered the ones leaving out the door. Carol smiled when she saw the little girl still clutching the dog in her arms.

After the kids were gone everyone else clustered together to go over the plan. Carol stood off from the group watching Daryl give the rundown of what needed to be done. He was physically the same man as before she left, aside from the shorter hair he was sporting. What was different was a new confidence. He had always had the ability to be a leader but had never really stepped up. Now here he was bringing the two groups together effortlessly, being a true leader.

After Daryl finished everyone was given a couple of minutes to get their weapons together. Carol already had her weapons at the ready. She found herself watching Daryl without really thinking about it. She watched as one of the women, she was sure her name was Kristen, approached him. She put her hand on his arm and was saying something she could make out from her position. She hated the jealousy that bubbled up at the sight of her squeezing Daryl's hand and kissing his cheek. Not wanting Daryl to see her watching him Carol moved to the doors to wait for time to head out.

The plan was to get into three groups, one for the front and one to the side. The third group would look over the groups while they concentrated on the walkers. Soon it was time to head outside. When they were outside the herd was closer than anticipated. Moving quickly they were soon all in place. It didn't take long at all to get the herd to change course. They were shouting and clapping to keep the attention of the walkers.

Carol was in the lookout group standing a short distance away so she had a vantage point of both the other groups. A large amount of time passed with no problems, but then Carol saw three walkers stumbling from the woods unnoticed. Everyone was so focused on the herd they had no idea of the new danger. Moving without hesitation Carol took out the first walker. However when she attempted to remove her knife it was stuck, she panicked only a second before she was able to pull it out. By this time two more walker had wandered out of the woods.

With a quick look around Carol could see she was the only one left to handle the new additions. Making another quick decision she decided she needed to get the new walkers away from their prey. She easily got the walkers to follow her into the woods away from the groups. When she thought she was a good enough distance from the groups, she turned to face off with the walkers. The first one went down easily, but when she turned her attention to the others, they were closer than expected and were able to knock her to the ground. The three remaining walkers falling on her with their teeth snapping. The fall had knocked her knife out of her hand. She pushed against the bodies and kicked and twisted with everything she had. She could feel the decayed flesh dropping on to her face as the teeth gnashed over and over. She was on the verge of panic until she remember the gun at her waist.

* * *

Daryl's group had easily gotten the herd to the fire now, he walked beside the herd watching them walk aimlessly into the flames. He almost felt bad for them. Sometimes he would try to imagine who the person had been before simply by the clothes they were wearing.

Realizing he was distracted he gave a quick look around and immediately noticed Carol was missing. Looking around frantically he couldn't find her. He was about to ask where she was when there was a gunshot. The remaining walkers turned in the direction of the sound, but there was enough people to get them interested in going toward the flames again. Daryl looked toward the woods but couldn't place the direction of the gunshot, only seconds later another shot rang out then almost immediately three more. Getting the attention of Jace who had been looking at the direction of the shots Daryl motioned for him to follow.

Running quickly competing with the spreading fire they soon stumbled upon several walkers on the ground. There was three on the ground and under them Daryl could just make out the sleeve of the green shirt that Carol had been wearing. Daryl froze until he saw the sleeve twitch and then he saw the bodies shifted as she moved slowly out from under the dead weight. She was moving slow and the fire was moving fast and she ran out of time as the fire licked against the fabric of her shirt. Her shirt flamed up as she ran toward the two men. They both moved, meeting her and used their hands to knock out the flaming shirt. It was out and they all turned and started running. They didn't stop running until they were standing with the other around the three trucks waiting for them.

Carol was standing with her hands on her knees, breathing heavily. Daryl walked to her and she raised to face him. She had blood on her face and her should was blistering already from the burns. Eyes on her cheek Daryl asked gruffly "Did you get bit?" If he hadn't been terrified of her answer he would have laughed at the annoyed expression she threw his way.

"No, I shot myself. My arm got knocked on the first shot," she explained as she made a futile attempt to knock some of the filth off her clothes. Daryl gave a curt nod and motioned toward the trucks. Everyone was piling into the vehicles. Daryl had no idea where the third truck came from but he was glad that Maggie and Glenn used their time wisely. Daryl moved into the passenger seat of the last truck in line with Kristen in the driver seat. She gave him a smile that he felt himself return, just happy the whole ordeal was over.

From his seat he could see Carol climb slowly into the bed of the truck in front of him. Even though she was he could see she was in a considerable amount of pain she shook off the hands offering help. She moved and gingerly put her back against the cab of the truck. Daryl felt guilt move through him as he relaxed in the soft comfort of his seat. He saw Carol grimace as the truck jerked into motion. Watching Carol he could see the exhaustion pouring off of her. Yesterday she had been dirty and exhausted. Today she just looked finished. Her face was covered in blood, someone had given her a rag to hold against it, but the blood was still falling. When he had looked into her eyes earlier they had been dull. Nothing left of the permanent sparkle they had held before. Looking at her now, he knew the woman she used to be was gone.


	11. Chapter 11

Carol opened her eyes when she felt the truck stop moving. Looking around she saw their new shelter was an old convenience store. Moving slowly she began to stand, her sore muscles protesting. She was the last out of the truck and was confronted with the sight of Daryl and Kristen having a conversation in the truck in front of her. Not liking the jealousy she was feeling, she quickly turned toward the building. Everyone was busy moving what supplies they would need into the store. When she was close to the door she realized she had been there before. She had stayed a day here with Robin, Debra and Liam.

Entering the store she could hear different conversations happening all around her. There was only one that caught her attention. "We are low on water and everyone is dehydrated." She didn't know the person talking. Joining the group she pointed out "I know where we can get water," everyone turned in her direction. "I can take you there." She could see by the expression on some of their faces they were hesitant to trust her. Maggie's "Great!" seemed to do the job. She didn't blame them for not trusting her. She was sure is she was confronted by someone in her state she would have a hard time trusting them too.

"If we leave now we can be back before dark." Grabbing all the water containers they could carry, Maggie, Carol and Glenn left the store. Carol saw Daryl and Kristen walking their way. She ignored them and continued on her way, but she heard Maggie and Glenn stop and tell them the plan. Not wanting to run off and leave her companions she stopped to wait. She heard Daryl tell them to keep an eye on her and they were off again.

They walked most of the way in a companionable silence all tired from the day's events. The silence was broken by Glenn, "You're shoulder looks pretty bad. I think there are some things for burns in our med kit." Carol couldn't help by smile. Glenn was always the one to care. She was sure he would never change. They found the hidden springs quickly. Maggie and Glenn quickly filled the containers while Carol kept watch. "Carol," turning she saw Maggie holding out a water bottle. Taking it gratefully she drank down half of it before making herself stop. "I'll fill it back up," Carol finished it off before handing it back to Maggie.

Loaded down with dozens of containers full of water the trip back was slower. Carol walked in silence listening to the couple banter back and forth. She couldn't remember ever being able to talk to anyone with the ease these two did. They were only stopped once by a walker who had stumbled up to them. Glenn had dropped it easily.

The trip back had taken longer than expected so it was dark when they reached the store. Carol could see the dim glow of a fire through the windows of the store. Occasionally the silhouette of a person would pass in front of the window. They were exposed, but the needed the protection the building offered. As they got closer to the building Carol could see two men with guns walking around in the front. At least they would have people on watch.

Entering the store the air was filled with softly spoken conversations and the smell of food. At the smell Carol's stomach let out an obnoxious growl causing Glenn and Maggie to look at her in surprise. She just shrugged. The water was distributed along with bowls of a chili one of the women had managed to cook with the combined supplies of the two groups. Carol couldn't remember ever eating anything so good.

"You're a mess," the remark startled her, but she relaxed when she realized it was Glenn. He dropped down beside, her holding a rag and bottle of water. "Can I look at your face?" he asked softly. Too tired to argue she gave in without a fight. She sat still as he gently wiped away the mud and dried blood from the last few days. "Maggie is looking for you some clothes," Glenn spoke as he worked. "This isn't too deep. I think we can just leave it uncovered." Finished with her cheek he moved to check on her burned shoulder. "This is pretty bad," he carefully moved her shirt away from the wound. With the shirt moved his eyes were drawn to the scarring around Carol's neck. Without thinking he ran his finger over the scar, knowing immediately what it was from.

Carol jerked away from him violently looking back at him with cold eyes. He held is hands up quickly, "I'm sorry. Just let me finish with your shoulder." She gave him a small nod, but he could feel a tenseness in her that wasn't there before. He was nauseous as thoughts of how the scars could have gotten there raced through his mind. "You have some blistering here. It's not too bad though. You were lucky." He had just finished when Maggie walked up carrying a small bag and a blanket.

"I found you come clothes and other things you might need," Maggie announced kneeling in front of Carol. Taking the things Carol gave a quiet "Thanks." Maggie smiled and turned her attention to Glenn. "Daryl wants to talk to us," Glenn got to his feet and watched as Carol used the bag Maggie brought as a pillow and laid down in the spot he vacated. Glenn saw her grimace from the pain and wanted to help her, but didn't have any way to do so. With a sigh he turned and followed Maggie to where Daryl was standing with the rest of their group. Glenn noticed Daryl looking in Carol's direction. When Daryl noticed Glenn watching him he asked, "Is she OK?"

"I'm not sure if she's OK but her wounds are serious," Daryl frowned at his comment but they would have to wait for later to discuss it. Trying to get his mind back on the matter at hand Daryl focused on his group, "I talked to the other group and told them about the compound. I offered to take them with us and they have accepted," he paused to take in everyone's reaction to the news. They all seemed fine with it.

He was about to continue when the door burst open and a man shouted, "Get down!" right before the front windows burst and the air was filled with gunfire. There was instant chaos as people screamed and bullets ricocheted about the room. Daryl looked around as much as he could from his position on the floor. Beside him Maggie was laying on the ground with Glenn laying half on her shielding her. Their eyes met his and he could see the fear there. He wanted to reassure them but he was just as scared.

After what seemed like hours the spray of bullets stopped. Daryl knew not to assume it was over. Raising a little he looked for his weapons, but remembered he left them in the small office he had claimed for himself. Sparing looks to the rest of his group he saw they only had knives. Remembering Carol had a gun he looked across to where she had been laying, but she was nowhere in sight. He had just started moving toward his weapons when a voice stopped him.

"Well ain't this just one big happy family," a gruff male spoke from the front of the store. Daryl watched as the man who warned them raised his gun, and jumped when he was immediately shot in the head.

"This is how this is gonna work," the man spoke again. "We know you have some ladies in here and we're just a couple of lonely guys lookin' for some company." The two men who stood behind the man were laughing. "You can give em' to us or we can take em'," when no one made a move the man pointed his gun at a man cowering close to him.

"Wait, wait," a man stood up from the floor hands raised. He was talking to the gun men but Daryl was distracted by movement at his foot. Looking down his body he saw Carol. She was on her stomach and in her hands were two guns. Reaching up she held out one to him. When he took it she pointed at him and then pointed to the side of the store. Then she did the same to herself, but pointed to the opposite side. He gave a nod of understanding and then they were moving.

Once they were in position behind shelves but able to see each other they checked their weapons and the Carol did a countdown from three with her hand and they were moving again. He moved out from behind the shelf yelling "Hey!" drawing attention to himself as Carol took the first shot. She hit one of the back men in the cheek. He dropped instantly. Daryl took the next shot hitting the main man between the eyes dropping him. The last man up seeing his comrade's fall dropped his weapon and held up his hands. Daryl lowered his weapon, but Carol shot him in the head without hesitation. Shocked Daryl could only watch as Carol moved out of the building. A few moments passed before Daryl snapped out of it. His blood was boiling.

Carol was soon back, "We have walkers heading this way," pulling her knife out of its sheath she went out again, this time several others followed her with knives drawn. Daryl tried not to pay attention to the woman on the ground crying over the man who had lost his life, trying to save theirs. She was soon pulled away by two other women.

"We need to start packing and moving toward the trucks," Daryl announced over the chaos in the room. Before they could even start a man came back in, "They knifed the tires. The trucks are goners." Daryl couldn't really say he was surprised, he probably would have done the same thing. "OK let's move the shelves to the front." Daryl was helping move the shelves when Carol walked back into the store using a back door. Storming toward her he yelled, "Hey!" the outburst caused everyone to freeze. Carol turned, a slightly startled expression on her face.

Getting in Carols face he exploded, "What the hell was that? The man was surrendering."

Carol gave him an annoyed look before starting to turn. She was stopped with a hand roughly grasping her arm. Turning quickly and pushing Daryl's hand away she squared off with him. They stood in a tense silence, "Rapists don't get to live," Carol explained simply.

The cold fury in Carol's eyes shocked Daryl into silence. When Carol turned to walk away Daryl stopped her. "What gives you the right to make that judgement?"

Carol sighed and rubbed her forehead, "They killed one of our people, shot up our shelter, and trapped us with no vehicles. Maybe he wouldn't have done anything, but I think he already did enough that the punishment was befitting of the crime."

Daryl couldn't believe what he was hearing these words come out of Carol's mouth. Feeling the anger and confusion boiling to the surface he lashed out by shoving Carol. "Who are you right now?"

He was shocked again when she shoved him back almost knocking him down. He recovered quickly and stepped toward her again, but Glenn stepped in front of him stopping him in his tracks. He could see Maggie doing the same with Carol. Noticing the silence he looked around seeing everyone focused on them, "We gotta move the shelves," he said to refocus people. He tensed when Carol brushed by him and Glenn going to help with the shelves.

It didn't take long to get the shelves moved. They were now all sitting around anxiously waiting for morning. Carol sat against the wall where she could easily see the front of the store. From her vantage point she could see the children snuggled together asleep. The little girl who had taken the dog was asleep with the dog snuggled in her arms. She was glad she could make the little girl happy in this new dark world.

She tensed when she saw movement out of the corner of her eye. Turning her head she saw Kristen moving to sit beside Daryl. She watched them discreetly as they talked quietly. Kristen had her hand on Daryl's thigh leaning close. Carol watched as she moved her face closer to Daryl's and then brushed her lips softly over his. She saw him respond slightly, but then pull back shaking his head and then they continued their conversation. Carol turned her head away not wanting to witness anymore of the intimacy.

As soon as the sky started to lighten everyone was up and packing what they could into their packs. Daryl's group would have to leave most of their supplies in the useless vehicles. The morning was cold and everyone was in low spirits after the attack. They had bundled the kids as well as they could. Everyone was on edge at being so exposed with such a large group. They decided to keep the kids in the middle with the armed members in front and back. They were moving slowly because of the breaks for the kids to rest. The rough terrain was also slowing everyone down, everyone but Carol who had been living in these woods.

When the sky was starting to darken they stopped to have a meeting on what they were going to do overnight. They were all grouped together discussing strategy when Carol walked up, "There's a stream about an hour's walk from here. There's a house not too far passed that."

"The kids are about to drop they'll never make that tonight," one of the women pointed out.

Everyone agreed, they decided to Carol would take a couple of people to get water while the others stayed and set up camp. Carol, Kristen, and Jace started off immediately. They walked briskly and Jace and Kristen talked quietly amongst themselves, while ignoring Carol. Carol only had one task on her mind so didn't mind being ignored. They made it to the stream and worked as a team to fill as many containers as they could comfortably carry.

The sky was completely dark on the way back. They were completely dependent on the small beams from their flashlights. The night was eerily quiet and they could hear the occasional moan and shuffle of walkers moving near them. They were moving quickly and quietly, extremely alert. Nearly half way back Carol noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. Grabbing the arm closest to her the group stopped just as five walkers stumbled out of the woods in front of them. They all pulled their weapons and took them out quickly, but the sound of the struggle was drawing more walkers to them. They were quickly over-run.

They were struggling to stay ahead of the hoard. Sensing that they were fighting a losing battle, Carol made a quick decision. Yelling, "Run," to the others she made as much noise as possible drawing the walkers to her and away from the others. She watched them hesitate briefly before they both turned and ran. Carol kept making noise and moving away from the group, separating herself from the others again.

* * *

Daryl was restless from feeling exposed and from having members separated from him. He had had an uneasy feeling for the past hour, having expected Carol and the other back by now. He had been pacing the perimeter sense he discovered they were late. He froze when he noticed flashlight beams moving in the direction of camp. Maggie and Glenn came to stand beside him. When Daryl only saw Kristen and Jace his stomach dropped. As they walked toward him he kept looking past them hoping Carol was simply lagging behind.

"What happened?" he heard Renee ask as she walked to Kristen grasping her hand. Jace was the one to answer, "We were on our way back and we got over-run. She told us to run and then distracted the walkers. I heard gunshots as we were running."

Kristen seemed to be in shock, "She doesn't even know us and she risked her life, I haven't even been nice to her." Renee led her to sit near the fire.

"It's not safe to go after her tonight," Jace said seeming upset. "I don't think I've ever seen someone so willing to sacrifice themselves for strangers. She could still be alive," he finished, his voice full of hope.

"Of course she can," Daryl responded. "We'll leave a first light. We can't separate anymore. You should get some sleep Jace." He knew Jace was slightly in shock just like Kristen.

Most of the people were awake, feeling too exposed to close their eyes. The night seemed to drag by as Daryl thought about where they could be. He refused to think that she was dead. He couldn't find her just to lose her permanently.

As soon as they could see they set off toward the area they had lost Carol. It would have been easier and fast to leave the others behind, but Daryl refused to lose anyone else. They soon came upon the downed walkers and discarded water containers. After a quick conversation they started walking in the direction Carol had led the walkers. They all had their weapons at the ready, with the kids protected at the back.

It didn't take them long to start seeing signs of Carol. There was random walkers on the ground, whatever had happened she had fought hard. Daryl was filled with dread when they found her empty gun laying on the ground. Nearly half a mile away they found a group of walkers shuffling around under a tree. It didn't take long for them to take notice of the group and head in their direction. They were taken down easily. Daryl saw a boot under the tree. Thinking back to what Carol had been wearing he knew it was hers. Spinning in a slow circle he tried to determine which way she could have gone.

Then he hear shuffling from above him. Looking up he saw Carol looking down at him with a sleepy expression, "Uh….hey," was all he could manage to get out. She was about ten feet up sitting in a bowl created by the trunk and limbs of the tree. "How did you get up there?"

Carol snorted, "Apparently when I'm full of adrenaline and fear, I can climb a tree like a monkey." She was looking around, "Can you get down?" Daryl asked trying not to laugh at the look of consternation on her face.

After a pause she seemed to make a decision and started to move, "Yeah, but not gracefully," she grunted as she worked her way down, finally landing on her butt with a thud in front of Daryl. He heard her mutter "ouch." Chuckling he reached his hand out to help her up. He was surprised when she actually took it. His whole body filled with warmth at the contact and it was gone to quickly as she let go. Holding up her shoe he had to ask, "How did this happen?"

Grabbing her shoe she mumbled, "I got annoyed and threw it." Daryl laughed out. He warmed again when he saw the corner of her mouth quirk in a familiar smirk. Taking a chance he squeezed her arm when he moved past her. He was relieved when she didn't tense. He didn't look back thought to see her face.

On her way over to rejoin the group Carol was stopped by Kristen and Jace, who handed her a bottle of water and some jerky. "We owe you out lives. We'll never be able to thank you enough." Carol shook her head, "You don't owe me anything," Jace and Kristen both gave nods and then moved back to the group.

She was met with a, "Nice landing," from Glenn and a chuckle from the others. Carol couldn't help but laugh with them, even though she could already feel the bruise forming on her backside. They all sat down and refueled while discussing the next plan of action. They decided they were going to try to make it to the house Carol had mentioned. It was a house Carol had taken shelter in but had to leave when supplies had run out. She had been with Debra, Robin, and Liam. It had actually been a nice couple of days.

They were lucky and made it to the house just before dark. It wasn't big and they would be crowded, but they would be protected. The windows and doors were still intact even though it looked like it had been picked over several times. When they entered the house they were confronted with the smell of trash and dirty bodies, making noise didn't rouse any walkers, but Daryl noticed an opened can of beans sitting close to a discarded book laying near the wall. Wisps of smoke rose from a discarded cigarette laying on the ground. Daryl held up a hand to stop the others.

"Come on out. We know you're in here," Daryl shouted, holding his crossbow at the ready. There was the sound of movement from the hall beyond the front room.

"We're not armed," a gruff male voice said before Daryl saw the man step into the room arms raised. He walked out a few steps and Daryl could see a woman behind him. Her arms were raised as well. The two were dirty but looked healthy. Before he could even open his mouth again Carol walked past him. He saw the eyes of the woman widen and then she gasped, "Oh my God," right before she rushed forward a few steps and pulled Carol into her arms. The other man seemed just as shocked as Daryl was as they stood awkwardly looking at the two women. Beside him he could see Glenn who looked just as confused.

Carol was overwhelmed. She couldn't believe she was actually hugging Barbara. She had known her before the world had ended. Through all the hell that Ed had put her through Barbara had been her only friend. She had taken her to the hospital after Ed had beaten her. She took care of Sophia when Carol wasn't able to. Through all this Carol had never felt judged or pitied. Barbara had been a constant source of support and her savior more than once.

After a while Barbara pushed Carol back and put her hands on Carol's cheeks, "I can't believe you here," she said with tears in her eyes. Carol could only nod in agreement too overwhelmed to respond. Seeing someone from before had her brain going in every different direction. After several minutes Barbara pulled away when her companion said her name.

Carol saw the man not even noticing him before. When Barbara moved beside him he put a protective arm around her waist. Carol looked at her with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. Barbara smirked back, "Shut up," causing Carol to laugh. Back when she knew her Barbara had enjoyed the company of women and had sworn she would die before she was with a man.

Hearing a throat cleared behind her Carol turned. She was confronted by several sets of eyes watching her curiously. Daryl and several others still had their weapons raised, "It's ok. This is Barbara Ann. I knew her from before," she explained. "I don't know you though," she said to the man.

"I'm Dean," he said simply reaching a hand out to shake.

"There's a lot of us, we've had a rough couple of days. Do you mind if we squeeze in here?" Maggie asked as she stepped forward.

Barbara and Dean looked at each other and without hesitation motioned the others in. While everyone piled in Barbara and Carol moved to a corner to catch up.

"Is it just you left?" Barbara asked gently. Carol nodded and gave her a short version of the events that had happened after the change. They talked until they were interrupted by an argument between Daryl and Dean. Carol let Barbara take care of it as she searched for a place to settle for the night. Everywhere she looked there was someone there. She suddenly felt the walls closing in on her and decided to walk outside and take watch. There was already a man there from the other group. He gave her a large smile when she told him she would take over.

The night was chilly but clear. She was looking at the stars when she heard the door open behind her. She looked over her shoulder to see Daryl standing awkwardly in front of the door. She turned back and waited for him to say something. For several minutes nothing happened and then he moved to sit on the stairs beside her, "Dean is an asshole," he finally spoke.

The unexpected words and petulant tone shocked a laugh out of Carol, "You literally just met him. How can you already know that?"

"He was in there telling me I came in the house wrong. Said I needed to be stealthier," the incredulousness in his tone made her laugh again. He gave her an exasperated look causing her to laugh harder. Ignoring her he questioned, "How did you know Barbara before?"

"She was a neighbor. One day I was all beat up and struggling to my car with Sophia and she was out walking. I never asked for help because I didn't want the pity, but with Barbara Ann there was none. She sort of became my secret support system."

Daryl smiled slightly, "I'm glad you had that." They lapsed into a companionable silence. Suddenly Daryl asked, "Do you hear that?"

Carol shook her head, but listened closer, "Is that barking?" Daryl didn't respond, but she didn't need him to the barking was getting closer. Daryl turned and yelled something into the house that she couldn't make out, seconds later others came out of the door armed. Glenn, Maggie, Jace, Barbara and Dean, along with two men she didn't know. They all stood waiting while the sound of barking and growling grew closer. "Oh my God," Carol could see the beams of flashlights now. There were at least ten men and four of them were holding the leashes to four dogs each. They were growling and lunging against their restraints. Carol briefly met the eyes of Daryl and she could see the fear in them. With a harsh shout from one of the men the dogs were set loose and heading straight for them.


	12. Chapter 12

Carols mind was full of noise. The sounds of dogs barking and growling, of her group yelling to each other. The sounds of the other group yelling at the dogs, encouraging them to attack. She was watching as everything seemed to move in slow motion. One of the dogs was taken down by one of Daryl's arrows the same time another clamped onto his boot. Moving by instinct she slammed her body into the dog knocking it down, causing it to lose it grip. It recovered before she was able to straighten back up, but Daryl was there slamming his knife into it repeatedly, stopping it for good. They got to their feet as two more dogs took the place of the fallen one. Carol lost track of everything as she focused on their attackers. She wasn't sure how long had passed before she realized the woods were quite again.

Looking up from the body of the man she had taken down she could see the carnage in the rays of the rising sun. Maggie and Glenn were standing close together both filthy, looking over everything in shock. Barbara was on her knees over a fallen Dean, Carol couldn't tell if he was alive. Daryl was standing close to her looking toward the house. Following his gaze, dread filled her as she saw the door of the house standing open. They both moved at the same time rushing up the stairs and into the house. They both stopped at the sight. The room was filled with bodies, the walls covered in blood.

Carol could see the small body of the little girl she had given the dog to, she lay still clutching the poor dog. Carol couldn't help the tears. Daryl was standing over the bodies of Kristen and Jace who she could tell had put up a fight, but were no match. With a quick shared glance Daryl and Carol started the task of making sure no one would rise again. When the task was done they moved back outside. Maggie and Glenn looked up when they sensed them. Carol shook her head, Maggie turned and put her head on Glenn's shoulder. Her shoulders shook with her sobs.

Daryl moved to Glenn and Maggie as Carol moved to Barbara, kneeling beside her. Dean's lifeless eyes stared unseeing at the sky. "I can't do it," Barbara said simply holding the knife in her hands out to Carol. Carol pushed the knife back to her and took out her own. Looking to Barbara she waited, and then after a nod from Barbara she took care of him. "Thank you," Barbara said after a big sigh. After running her hand over his hair one last time she took the hand Carol offered to help her stand. They moved to stand with the others Daryl, Glenn, Maggie and Barbara were the only ones left. Carol held Barbara's hand as they all simply stood in silence.

"We can't stay here." Daryl said simply. Everyone agreed and they started walking not wanting to endure the house long enough to gather any usable supplies. With less of them they were able to travel closer to the road and soon found a group of cars that had belonged to the group that attacked them. There was cages fitted in the beds of several trucks along with a passenger van filled with provisions. The back seats had been removed and it was filled with weapons and an abundance of prepackaged meals, along with camping gear and several cans of gas. "We'll take the van and the red truck," Daryl said pointing to a large truck parked close by. "Carol will ride with me and ya'll follow close. We will drive a few miles then regroup. I just want to get as far away from here as possible," everyone agreed and they were soon on their way.

They drove in silence for an hour before Carol couldn't handle it anymore, "I'm sorry about your people," Carol finally said. Daryl glanced at her before simply nodding, not offering any comment. After a while he finally spoke, "Barbara seems strong." Carol nodded in agreement, "She is." Daryl nodded again. "I know you and Kristen were close," she spared a glance at him, saw his hand tightening on the steering wheel. "She was easy to talk to. She could make me forget about the way things are sometimes. Like you used to do." There was no venom in his voice but the words still cut deep. Carol leaned her head back and closed her eyes, decided talking was a bad idea.

It was evening by the time they stopped. Using the supplies in the van they sat up a small camp and started a small fire to cook. They all sat around the fire now, Maggie and Glenn talking quietly, the others lost in thought. "How far away is your compound?" Carol asked. "Driving with all the obstructions in the road, we have about a day and a half left." Daryl answered. "It's up the mountain." Standing he continued, "We need to do some inventory. It looks like we have plenty but I don't want to take any chances." Everyone went to the van and they made quick work of the task. They had enough food to last at least a week. Enough gas to last several days if they went easy. Enough water for three days. They were set.

Before nightfall they set up three tents, Maggie and Glenn, Carol and Barbara, and Daryl had his own. They were going to take turns keeping watch with Carol up first. Carol was sitting watching the fire die when she heard shuffling beside her, she jumped to her feet and grasped her knife, only to see Daryl there with his hands raised. "Jeez you scared me," she muttered as they both sat down. Daryl chuckled, "Sorry." Carol only frowned at him. He just shook his head. "I can't sleep. I keep thinking too much," Daryl said using a stick to poke the fire.

After a lengthy pause he started again, "After you left I looked for you. I went out after a woman showed up with your knife. I saw the house with the cage." He paused glancing at her, she kept her head down fidgeting with a string on her pants. "I went out again when Hank and Shiloh showed up. I was so close. I had a lot of time to think and the more you weren't there…. the more I realized what you were for me," he paused again chancing a look at her. She was looking at him expectantly now. "It's one of those situations where you don't realize what you have till it's gone… or some shit like that. I realized that I needed you… that you were why I could keep going." He looked at her again, her eyes were moist with tears, "Then you were just gone. You left like it was the easiest thing in the world." His voice had gotten harder now, "You left all of us."

When he didn't get any reaction he continued, "I eventually accepted it as much as I could and I moved on I guess. Kristen was nice and she somehow managed to make me feel a little again. Then you showed back up," he was looking at her again and her at him. "You're a completely different person now. I can barely see the woman I knew before. I know you've been through some shit, but I don't know you anymore. I'm not even sure I like this you," he said honestly.

Carol snorted derisively, "Well I don't need you to like me," she stood before finishing. "I regret leaving, I honestly do. It was one of the biggest mistakes of my life, but this is who I am now. It's not going to change." He watched her walk away, regretting ever opening his mouth.

When Carol opened the flap of her tent Barbara was sitting with her legs crossed on her sleeping bag. There was a flashlight standing on its end providing a dull glow and Carol could see the tears on her cheeks. Wiping them away quickly she gave Carol a half smile. Carol simply sat down beside her and took her hand. They sat in silence, simply being together.

The morning came quickly and everyone was moving slowly, all tired from a sleepless night. Daryl was the first to get his tent down so he sat and watched the others. Glenn and Maggie worked together and talked quietly. Barbara and Carol worked together in silence. Daryl briefly thought about apologizing to Carol about what he had said the night before, but it had all been the truth. He was lost in his thoughts when Carol tapped him on the shoulder, "Where are you?" she asked slight concern coloring her voice. He shook his head, but didn't offer an answer. Knowing she wouldn't get one she handed him a granola bar and some water. He nodded his thanks and she went to the others passing them their breakfast.

Carol sat in the grass eating her breakfast and watching as Barbara stared at her bar. Slightly annoyed Carol sternly told her to "Eat." The stern voice seemed to snap Barbara out of it and she quickly ate her bar. Carol was not going to lose anyone else. They set off as soon as they were finished with breakfast. They were able to travel for hours, before running into any obstacles. They were on a two lane road and it was obvious someone had worked hard to block off the road with cars and even some logs. After sitting for a few minutes to see if anyone came to them, everyone decided it would be a good idea to move forward on foot to check for danger. With their weapons drawn they moved as a group through the barricade. It became quickly apparent that there had been some type of attack that had taken place. There was bodies piled in a small pile near the center of the chaos. There was other bodies throughout as well. The whole cluster of logs and vehicles was about a football field wide.

It became clear pretty quickly that what had happened was over with and there was no more immediate danger. "How did this happen? It's only been a couple of week's sense we came in here last," Glenn said as they stood around taking everything in. Nobody had an answer. "We need to split up and see if we can find some a working car. There is no way in hell we're getting the van and truck through here," Daryl observed. Luck was on their side for once and they found a decent sized SUV that was in a position that they could get it out. It took them a couple of hours to get the SUV out and load it with as much supplies as they could and still fit themselves. It was going to be a tight squeeze for them but they didn't care.

"How close are we to the compound?" Barbara asked as they took a break to eat some dinner. "Bout' 30 or 40 miles," Daryl answered.

They decided not to drive through the night, since no one had slept particularly well the night before. After moving the SUV to a more secure location where they could see all around them they got comfortable and were all asleep. They were awoken abruptly hours later by walkers thumping into the SUV and shaking it. Everyone was instantly alert, there was at least thirty walkers outside moving past them. Keeping as still and quiet as possible they watched the walkers nervously. It seemed to take forever for them to work their way past. Daryl wasted no time in started the SUV and driving off.

They drove for three hours with no problems. Maggie, Glenn and Barbara all talked and joked while Carol and Daryl sat in the front, both still brooding from their conversation. They were interrupted by Daryl cussing and the telltale plopping sound of a flat tire on the road. They were lucky enough that the SUV still had its spare tire and they were able to change it quickly. Their luck didn't change however as they were stopped several times with clusters of walkers wandering aimlessly down the road. At the sound of their vehicle the walkers would change their direction and head straight for them. Several times they had to leave the safety of the car to clear the road of downed bodies.

They hadn't seen any walkers for several hours so Glenn, Maggie, and Barbara were asleep as Daryl drove and Carol sat in the passenger seat looking for any threats. "You can go to sleep," Daryl spoke after a while. Carol shook her head, "I'm fine."

Daryl kept stealing quick glances in Carol direction. He could see she was sitting stiffly looking very uncomfortable. Sighing deeply he finally apologized, "Look I'm sorry about what I said last night…" She interrupted him "Don't apologize for telling the truth." She gave him a slight smile, "I'm going to lie and say it didn't hurt a little, but you wouldn't be you if you didn't speak your mind." Daryl chuckled.

There was a lapse into silence before Carol continued, "I know I was selfish when I left. I didn't think I could handle losing everyone again. When we found the car I thought it was a sign," she spared a glance at Daryl, his jaw was clenched, but he was listening. "I figured if I left it would solve my problems. I wouldn't have to deal with the pain of leaving the ones I loved. I wasn't thinking about how it would affect anyone else."

Looking at Daryl again she saw him looking at her, he didn't say anything so she continued, "It figures the one time I stop thinking about other people I get everything so wrong." She paused again lost in thoughts of her last year. "I really paid for my selfishness." She wiped quickly at the tears on her cheeks.

She jumped when she felt Daryl take her hand, "We're different people now. We're going to have to get to know each other again," he said softly holding her hand between them. They drove the rest of the way in silence, Daryl never let go of her hand.

It was early morning when Daryl said, "There it is."

Carol could see walls and several large buildings. She could see people already going about their daily routines. There was guards standing in front of sturdy looking gates, all armed with rifles. Daryl signaled them with a series of flashes of his headlights. Someone shouted and the gates opened and people started to gather to see the new arrivals. Everyone jumped out of the SUV excited to be home, even Barbara seemed to be caught up in the excitement.

Carol hesitated and watched as Daryl, Maggie and Glenn were welcomed by Rick, Michonne, and Carl. They were quickly joined by Sasha, Tara, Bob and Tyreese. She was about to be confront the people she had abandoned. She saw Daryl say something to Rick and then gesture in her direction, everyone's eyes went to the SUV. Knowing that her time of hiding was over she slowly got out of the vehicle, taking as much time as she could.

She hadn't expected to be welcomed back with open arms and smiles, but the untrusting looks still stung. She was surprised when Carl approached her and wrapped his arms around her. When she tensed he started to move away, but she quickly wrapped her own arms around him before he could move away. He didn't say anything, but offered her a smile when he moved away. She could only stand awkwardly as she faced the rest of the group. "Stay here," Daryl told her as him and Rick moved away from the group.

Everyone watched as Daryl and Rick seemed to have a deep conversation. She could feel everyone looking at her, including the others that she didn't know. She took the time to look around the compound. They had a nice setup with the 2 large buildings and several smaller ones. They had a complicated looking green house that despite the weather getting colder was filled with thriving vegetation. There was what looked like an outdoor kitchen setup that a couple of women were working in. Carol could smell the food and it smelled amazing.

Her eyes had just fallen on a familiar looking woman and child when Daryl and Rick came back distracting her. Standing close to her Rick started talking, "Daryl told me some things that worry me. I'm glad you're back and you welcome here, but you are going to give up you're weapons."

Carol couldn't believe what she was hearing she grasped the handle of her knife, "Not my knife." Rick nodded his head, "All of them."

Looking around she could see that everyone else was armed. "Everyone is armed. I can't just walk around with nothing," she argued.

"You're safe in the walls." Rick argued, holding his hand out.

Carol actually laughed, "You know that's not true." Feeling everyone's eyes on her she looked around and saw that some of the others had their hands on their own weapons prepared to protect Rick. Taking several steps back she met Daryl's eyes. She could see the worry in them, nobody trusted her here. Turning her back, she went over her options. She could leave, but she knew that she didn't want to. Even though she had never been here this place already felt like home. She knew it was the people in front of her no matter how much distrust was between them.

Feeling hurt and angry she took out her knife and threw on the ground in front of Rick, ignoring his outstretched hand. After checking the safety of her gun she did the same with it. She knew it was childish but she was pissed.

"After you've proven yourself you can have them back," Rick said bending to pick up the weapons. Carol didn't answer just glared. Rick started to leave when suddenly Glenn said, "She has one in her boot too." When Carols head snapped in his direction he actually stepped back, "It's just to be safe," was all he said. Bending she took her extra knife off sheath and all and actually handed it to Rick.

"We will turn the generators on so you can have a warm bath. Ya'll look like you could use it." Carol followed the group wordlessly as they entered the gates. The onlookers had lost interest and continued about their business. As they walked toward the largest building Carol could hear Barbara talking to Rick. He was asking her questions about her time sense the outbreak. Carol noticed she still had her weapons.

Carol was stopped by a hand on her own. The others moved on without her. When she looked down she noticed it was a little girl, she looked familiar. She tensed when the little girl wrapped her arms tightly around her. Putting her arm around the little girl she looked around trying to find her mom. That's when she saw her, standing closer now she knew exactly who they were. "You saved us," the little girl spoke without raising her head. When the woman was close enough she grasped her daughters shoulders and pulled her away, "This is Kiera, she's been talking about you sense you saved us. I'm Claire."

Looking at the two alive and well Carol felt relieved that she had done something right in her year of hell. She was about to say something when she heard Maggie calling her name. Turning to the mother and daughter, "I'll find you later," she gave them a smile and went to Maggie.

"They told everyone about your bravery," Maggie said with a smile as Carol approached. "You would have done the same," Carol said with a shrug. Carol followed as Maggie explained the setup, "We use a locker room style bathroom toward the back of the building. There are individual showers but they are not to be used, it uses too much water. We were lucky this place runs off a well instead of city water." Stopping in front of a closet Maggie opened the doors, "This is where we keep some extra clothes. I'll go around and see if anyone has anything extra, I know you don't have anything," she handed carol some jeans and a t-shirt. "They'll be big on you probably."

"Its fine, thank you." Carol was still slightly overwhelmed at someone taking care of her, but she went along with it. Listening as Maggie went over the eating schedule and laundry schedule. "We'll have to figure out a job for you to do. Pretty much everyone has one, unless they're just not able."

"I'll do whatever is needed," she volunteered. When they reached the doors to the showers Barbara was waiting holding some clothes. "The guys are in there," she said. They stood against the wall waiting, "This place is great," Barbara said excitedly. "I haven't felt this safe in forever."

"Don't let your guard down," Carol warned. Barbara and Maggie both gave her a look, but she ignored them and they continued their conversation. Several minutes later the door opened to a cloud of steam and Glenn and Maggie stepped out looking much better. "All yours ladies," Glenn said with a big smile as he passed.

The room was warm and smelled of soap. Carol was looking forward to the shower but she knew that her new scars would be exposed. She didn't care about being naked around the others having lost any sense of modesty on the road long ago. She didn't want to expose what had been done to her. Maggie and Barbara didn't seem to notice her hesitation as they quickly stripped and got under the warm spray. Hoping that they would be distracted and the steam would be enough to hide her, Carol stripped and got into her own spray. The hot water relaxed her tense muscles instantly.

Maggie finished her shower first and as she moved to reach for her towel she caught a glimpse of Carol standing beside her. She put her hand to her mouth to stop her gasp. Carol's whole back was covered in vicious looking scars. They were too perfectly aligned to be anything but purposeful. Without thinking she called "Carol." When she turned Maggie could see that her stomach and breasts were the same. She even had a scar along her jaw that the layers of dirt had hidden on the road. There wasn't any part of her that didn't have a scar.

Looking at the other women Carol could see their shock. "Its fine," she said rushing to get dried and put her clothes on. She could see tears in both of their eyes, not knowing how to deal with the situation she quickly made her exit, "I'm going to go see if I can help with something."

Maggie dried quickly and dressed rushing out the door wanting to find Rick or Daryl. She found them both together. Standing together looking over a map. "Did Carol tell you anything about what happened to her before she found us?" She asked Daryl. He frowned slightly and shook his head. Maggie chewed the inside of her cheek trying to decide if she should tell them. When Glenn walked up she made the decision, "She's covered in scars." Rick tilted his head slightly, "We're all covered in scars."

Maggie shook her head, "No I mean someone covered her in scars. There everywhere. There too perfect to be accidental," she saw Daryl's expression darken.

"I saw some on her neck when I was treating her burn," Glenn added. She got mad when I touched one.

Looking around the yard he saw Carol standing at the kitchen area helping with breakfast. The area was full of people, but he was only seeing red and he rushed to her. Grabbing her arm in front of everyone he demanded, "Show me."

Carol yanked her arm back angrily, "Show you what?"

Daryl snarled, "You know what, show them to me."

"Daryl, no," Maggie said slightly frantic.

Carol glanced at Maggie and knew immediately what he was talking about. She noticed the silence around them as everyone watched them. Suddenly all of the emotions of the morning came crashing down on her making her angry. So staring Daryl straight in the eye she yanked off her sweatshirt and the t-shirt underneath, leaving her standing only in her bra. She heard several gasps, but she ignored them. "Is that what you wanted to see?" She said calmly.

She saw Daryl shoulders slouch and she watched as his eyes roamed over her. She expected pity, but only saw pain. When he met her eyes she could see the tears. Looking around she saw the same looks on the rest of her family. Putting her shirts back on she started to walk away, but stopped abruptly, "I don't have anywhere to go." Claire was there and led her by the arm away from the still silent crowd.

"I can't believe you did that," Maggie scolded Daryl stalking away angrily. Daryl still stood in silent shock. He knew he had messed up. He hadn't known what to expect, but the reality was so much worse. His head was filled with images of Carol in pain and afraid alone. He had only really thought about his side of her leaving. He hadn't thought of her own consequences. "I should go to her," he said aloud to no one in general.

"Give her time," Rick said from beside him. The same shocked expression on his face. They stood in silence beside each other letting what they had seen sink in.

Claire had taken Carol to her room so she could have some alone time. Claire and Kiera had stayed with her for a bit before going to get their food. They had brought her some back that she had eaten while she watched the two of them interact. She would gladly go through the pain she had endured at the hands of those maniacs over and over if it meant keeping these two safe and together. She left not long after not wanting to overstay her welcome. When she went outside it was mid-afternoon and the area was bustling with activity.

Carol was walking around getting familiarized with how everything was set up when there was commotion at the gate. A van was backed into the entrance and a group jumped out. Carol recognized Shiloh and Hank, who were met by Daryl. She watched on as Daryl pulled them away and said something that caused Shiloh to break down. Carol had to look away from the devastation on the young man's face. As she turned she bumped into Rick who had been standing watching as well. "His girlfriend was one of the ones ya'll lost," he explained. Carol could only nod.

"I was looking for you. We cleaned you out an area. It's basically a closet, but I didn't think you would want to share with anyone," he looked uncomfortable and for some reason Carol enjoyed it. "I'll show you where."

She followed him silently passed the main area of the largest building to a door at the end of a short hall. He opened the door and Carol could see that it really was just a closet. It had most likely been a supply closet. Now it held a camping cot with two blankets and a tipped over crate with a lit lantern on it. It actually looked surprisingly comfortable. She stepped into the room and sat on the bed. She expected Rick to leave but he stood in the doorway awkwardly.

After nearly a minute he finally spoke, "I'm glad you're back. I know we don't have the strongest relationship, but things seem more normal when you're here," without giving her a chance to respond he continued. "We need to figure out a job for you."

"I'll do whatever you need me to do," she volunteered.

Rick nodded, "Well I would like to request you take on some of the cooking duties, you would be doing everyone here's stomach a huge favor. The ladies in charge now really try, bless their hearts, but….well let's just say they come up a little short," he chuckled and Carol joined him. "I will gladly take over cooking," she laughed harder at the look of relief that flashed over his face.

"I'm going to put you on the gate duty list. There are 7 people on the list including you. You will alternate watch them. You'll be able to have a gun only for that time," looking uncomfortable again, "We will readdress that situation in a week or so," she gave him a nod. He went over some of the rules and then left her to get situated.

She laid back onto the cot thinking absently that it was good quality. The next thing she knew she was being shaken away, jerking up and reaching for the knife that wasn't there she saw it was only Maggie who stepped back quickly, "Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's OK." Carol waved her off. Seeing that she was holding a bag, "What's up?"

"I went around and was able to get you some essentials and some more clothes. I also got you a couple of books," she handed Carol the bag and sat down when Carol motioned her to.

"Thank you for this," Carol told her with a smile, going through the bag.

"I'm sorry about Daryl earlier, it was my fault. I told him about your scars. I didn't think in a million years he would act like that." Carol could tell she was upset.

"It's not your fault. He was upset and we all know he doesn't handle emotions well." Carol gave her arm a quick squeeze. "It's better everyone knows anyway. I don't want any secrets." Maggie nodded her and gave her a smile.

"I know you probably don't want to talk about it, but if you happen to want to I'm here for you." Carol thanked her and they continued to talk about a little bit of everything, until it was time for Carol to go cook.

The woman in charge of cooking seemed relieved when Carol said she was a new cooker. There was three women that helped in the kitchen with just the one cook. After she was shown where all the food was kept and learned the setup of the kitchen Carol was able to make a stew out of some meat and vegetables that had been canned over the summer. The pantry had been stocked with every spice known to man and Carol had actually enjoyed herself, the mundane activity bringing her back to much better times. She had even made cookies for desert with some of the supplies the run crew had brought in earlier. Everyone had been full of compliments for her, she couldn't help but feel a little proud of herself.

Hours later Carol was laying on her cot reading a book when there was a knock on her door, "Yeah?" When it opened she was surprised to see Daryl standing there looking sheepish, "Can I come in?" he asked quietly. With a nod she pulled her legs up so he would have room to sit on the cot in front of her crossed legs.

"Nice set up you have here," he said glancing around the tiny space.

"Thanks, let me guess you sleep in the tent against the back wall," she guessed.

"You know it, can't stand most of these people. Idiots," they both chuckled.

"I wanted to apologize about earlier. You know I don't handle emotions well. I wasn't thinking and it makes me so angry thinking about what you….," he paused lost in thought. "I handled it so bad," he finally finished.

"Yeah you did. I didn't have to expose myself to everyone like that though. I was just as mad and all the emotions made me lose it briefly," she looked at him waiting for him to look at her. "It happened. It messed me up physically, and we both know mentally. I'm ready to move on from it. It's hard though." She held her hand out and was happy when he took it gently, "We know I had trust issues before, now their even worse, but I know I have people here that I can trust. My family is here, I am going to get everyone's trust back and I am going to learn to trust again."

He stared at her for several minutes and then "No shooting people who are giving up."

She shook her head, "I'm not promising something like that. You know he would have hurt someone first chance he got."

Daryl shrugged, "Possibly," with a sigh he reached into his pocket with is free hand. "I got this back from that lady," he handed her the trench knife. "Don't let Rick see it, it was my idea to take you weapons in the first place." They both sat quietly just enjoying the being beside each other.

"I have gate duty tonight. I should go," he finally said, but made no move to get up. After a bit he took his hand back and slapped his thighs, "Ok I'm going," and without another word he left.

Carol looked at the door realizing for the first time in a long while, she was feeling hope.


	13. Chapter 13

It had been three weeks since arriving back at the compound and Carol had easily fitted herself into the way of life there. Daryl had watched as she had slowly opened up to the others and helped Shiloh through his grieving. Now more often than not, when he caught sight of her she was smiling and talking to someone, much like she had been before she left.

Sense that first night they had shared gate duty several times. He would always end up watching her when she wasn't looking. She was stiller and watchful now, quieter in everything she did. Her eyes were always scanning, taking in everything around her. Being around her again brought out the familiar feeling of wanting to be closer to her. He had noticed it back at the prison, he would find himself always trying to get a glimpse of her. It was always an unconscious thing, when he would see him all the tension would leave him and he would feel normal.

Now he was sitting at one of the makeshift tables in the kitchen area pretending to mess with his bow, but he was mostly watching her as she cooked some of the meat from a deer he had caught that morning. She was frowning slightly at the smoke in her face as she moved it around on the grill. Out of nowhere he found himself thinking of how beautiful she was. The random thought stopped him short as he just watched her. It wasn't the first time he had thought it, but it was the first time sense her return.

As if sensing him looking she looked up and caught his eyes. She smiled and it actually reached her eyes now. She returned the smile, though he could feel his cheeks redden at being caught staring. The moment was broken by the guards at the gate signaling people besides their own coming. It didn't happen very often, but occasionally groups would stumble upon the compound. Most were grateful and would take advantage of the help offered, others were simply hostile.

Everyone had their own role, the weak and children were taken to a secure place with a guard and the more fit had their places at the gate to set up a human blockade of sorts. Daryl was Rick's second hand and stood with him so they could assess the group. Looking around quickly he saw that Carol was standing close with Glenn and Maggie. She was supposed to be in the building with the children because she was unarmed, but he wasn't really surprised to see her there.

The approaching group had six men and three women from what he could tell. They looked like most groups that stumbled upon them, filthy and weary. They all had a weapon of some sort from guns to what looked like a stick with a knife taped to the end. At least he knew they were resourceful.

When they were just barely inside the gate the leading man said gruffly, "Who's in charge here?" Rick stepped forward.

"We need supplies," the man said matter of fact.

"Why should we give you our supplies?" Rick questioned, standing with his hand on the gun at his hip.

"You're not just gonna leave us to starve are ya?" the man acted hurt.

Before Daryl even knew what happened the man signaled the others who spread out with weapons raised and grabbed three of their people, a large man held Glenn with a knife to his nick, a woman had a woman that Daryl didn't know with a gun pointed at her head, and a large man had Carol penned against him with a gun to her head. Unlike the other woman she looked surprisingly calm, almost annoyed even.

"You are making a really big mistake," Rick said menacingly. The other group simply laughed.

"I think we have the upper hand here," the man gestured to their victims.

Daryl hadn't taken his eyes off the large man holding Carol. He hated the helpless feeling rushing through him. He glanced to Carol and she was watching him. Then to his surprise she smiled. He was startled when she started to thrash against the man.

"Jay hold the bitch," the leader said, his voice loaded with irritation. When Jay finally got her under control she had angled them to where she could see the others being held. Daryl watched her closely, knowing she had a plan but couldn't quite work it out.

Rick and the man were still arguing, but Daryl was focused more on the guns pointed at his friends. Suddenly Carol shouted, "Rick," drawing all the attention toward her and then so quick that Daryl almost missed what happened she slammed her knife into the leg of the man behind her. The distraction was enough to allow Rick and Daryl to take out the other two men holding Glenn and the woman.

The others gave up quickly dropping their weapons immediately and raising their hands. Daryl rushed to where Carol had gone down with the man she stabbed, but she was already standing wiping her blade on her pants. The man was moaning and cussing her. "Man shut up," Daryl grunted kicking the man in the leg, receiving a yelp in return.

"Are you OK?" he asked, as he subtlety looked for injuries.

"I'm fine," she said quickly, flashing him a smile. Rick was soon beside him asking the same. "I'm fine really, sorry about that, I couldn't think of any other way to warn you."

Rick just laughed and pulled her into a hug, "You constantly surprise me," he said simply.

The compound was soon alive with action as everyone was checked and they decided what to do with the remaining members of the attacking group. In the end it was decided to take them far from the compound and drop them off with a small amount of resources. They weren't to be trusted.

It was hours later when things slowed down and Daryl realized he hadn't seen Carol. He knocked on her door and at the muffled "Come in," he entered. She was sitting on her cot with her back against the wall, a lantern burning beside her, she looked exhausted. She offered him a smile and gestured for him to sit beside her. They sat in companionable silence.

"It gets to be almost too much sometimes," Carol spoke quietly. Daryl hummed in agreement.

As they sat there Daryl noticed Carol rubbing her shoulder, "You did get hurt," he said more gruffly than he meant to.

"I just landed a little weird when we fell to the ground. It's just sore, I'm fine." she reassured him. He looked her over closely trying to determine if she was telling the truth.

"You know you're pretty amazing." he said when she noticed him staring. At her raised brow he continued, "I mean you survived out there by yourself. I saw that house you were in, the cage. I can't imagine what that was like, but here you are alive. You only get stronger." He could tell she wasn't comfortable with his words.

He was about to say more when someone knocked on the door. It was Rick, "Sorry to interrupt. I just wanted to give you these back." He handed her weapons. "I'm glad you had your knife. You shouldn't be left vulnerable like that."

She smiled at him, "Thank you."

Rick then addressed Daryl, "I'm going to need you to go on a run. We have two pregnant women who are due soon and no supplies for the babies. I already talked to Glenn and Maggie and their ready to go in the morning."

Daryl hadn't left the compound since they had gotten back with Carol. He couldn't shake the feeling that she would be gone when he got back. Knowing he didn't have much of a choice he agreed and Rick left.

The small room was silent again, Carol was fiddling with her weapons and Daryl was lost in thought. "You won't leave again will you?" Daryl heard himself say, not really even meaning to.

Carol looked at him, "I don't plan on going anywhere."

Daryl nodded, but the answer didn't make him feel any better. He startled when he felt her take his hand, "I will be here when you get back," she said emphatically.

Daryl looked deeply into her eyes and knew she was telling the truth. He squeezed her hand, "I need to go get everything ready, you look like you need to sleep anyway." Feeling awkward now he quickly slipped out of the room.

Carol watched him leave feeling guilty that she had put so much doubt into his head.

* * *

The run had ended up taking longer than anyone had expected. There had been problems with the vehicles and large clusters of walkers that had to be avoided. So now it was six days later and they were finally pulling up to the gate. Daryl was exhausted and anxious to see Carol. He had had a lot of time to think about her and his feelings and had made the decision to tell her how he really felt. A close call had reaffirmed the fact that they didn't know how long they had and he wanted to be with her for whatever time that was.

Once in the gate he looked toward the grills knowing it was time for Carol to be on dinner duty. She was there looking at him with a large smile. He started to move toward her, but stopped short when a man he vaguely recognized walked up to her and touched her arm. He flinched when the man pulled her into a hug and she went willingly. The hug was brief but when they pulled apart she kept her hand on his arm and gave him a beautiful smile.

Not wanting to see anymore he practically ran toward his tent, telling Rick he was too tired when he called his name. In his tent, the anger took over. He couldn't believe he was stupid enough to think that she would want him, or that someone else wouldn't snatch her up given the chance.

"Daryl?" It was her and he jumped and quickly laid down on his sleeping bag with his back to the front flap of the tent.

He heard the zipper being undone. "Daryl?" She said again quietly. He heard her move closer.

He knew he was being childish but he pretended to be asleep. After a minute he heard her sigh and quietly leave the tent. Turning onto his back he listened to her walking away, knowing that he had lost her, before he even knew he wanted her.

For the next two weeks Daryl worked hard at avoiding Carol, keeping a close eye on her schedule and being sure to be busy in some way. Anytime she approached him he would come up with some lame excuse and scurry away. Two days ago she had stopped approaching him. He would see her with that man and it would break his heart more and more. He would do something to make her smile or simply caress her arm or wrap her in a hug. Daryl was miserable.

He was in his tent, he told himself he was tired but he knew deep down he was hiding. He was fiddling with his crossbow when the zipper to his door was ripped open and the man he least wanted to see unceremoniously came in and flopped down on the ground beside him.

"What the hell are you doing?" Daryl spat angrily tempted to aim his bow at the arrogant asshole.

"You're hurting Carol," the man spoke calmly despite being up against an angry Dixon.

"Carols not any of my business anymore." Daryl tossed his bow aside and rose to leave the tent.

"I never pegged you for a dumb ass," the words stopped Daryl in his tracks.

The man sat calmly on the ground looking smugly up at Daryl. He had never wanted to punch someone so bad. He made a threatening move toward the man that would have caused most people to cower in fear but this man simply smirked.

"Man why are you even here. Are you gonna rub it in my face?" the man looked briefly confused and then he laughed outright.

"Oh my God you think I'm with her don't you?" The more he laughed the angrier Daryl got.

"I'm sorry," he spoke through his laughter. "She is going to laugh so hard at that. So is my husband."

Daryl's eyebrows shot up, "Um… what'd you just say?"

"I said my husband," he emphasized the word, "Will find that hilarious."

"Huh…" Daryl said dropping to the ground. "So you aren't with Carol?"

"No I just happened to offer her friendship when she really needed it. She was really upset when you all were gone so long. I found her crying one day and we started talking. She is an amazing woman. She loves you." The man finished smiling slightly.

Daryl was completely stunned. "I… I've been avoiding her. I thought you two were… well you know."

The man chuckled again.

"Your avoidance hurt her. She was just starting to accept her feelings and you showed up and were a complete asshole and you made her doubt herself."

Daryl felt horrible and moved to leave the tent, "She's not here."

The words again froze Daryl in place, "What are you talking about?"

"They left on an emergency run this morning. Something about some sick people."

Daryl felt tears forming, she was gone again. "She just left."

"What did you expect? You've been ignoring her for weeks now," even though he was annoying, the man had a point.

"You've made your point you can leave now," Daryl grated out.

When the man finally stepped out of the tent, Daryl did something he rarely did. He cried.

* * *

It had been three days since Carol had left on her run. Daryl was fidgety and anxious. Snapping at anyone who approached him. He was in his tent brooding after Rick had told him he was making everyone nervous. He kept running over all the possible things that could happen to her while out there. Thinking of what she had already been through. He eventually nodded off the lack of sleep catching up with him.

He was jolted awake by the sound of raised voices. He jumped up quickly and nearly fell as he rushed outside. There was a large crowd gathered at the gate and Daryl could see an unfamiliar car sitting just inside the compound. As he drew closer he saw Hank and Barbara who had been on the run with Carol. Panic seized him as he looked frantically for her. She wasn't with them.

As he reached them he heard Hank talking to Rick, "We were surrounded and got separated. I saw Carol go down and we lost sight of her. Shiloh and a small group we found who were coming back with us disappeared to."

Daryl groaned at the physical pain the news caused.

Hank looked at him, "They could have made it. They're strong..." He trailed off not very convincing in his statement. Daryl could only give a small nod. He felt the world closing in on him.

"We should go look for them," Glenn spoke up.

Rick was shaking his head, "No going out right now is just suicide."

Daryl knew he was right, they didn't stand a chance if the herd was really as big as Hank had said. Hanks words kept running through his head "saw Carol go down".

* * *

The next week was a blur of chaos as bad storms kept them from venturing out of the compound. On a particularly bad night they lost four trees that took out a large portion of the wall. They had been gathering building supplies and tools so they had plenty to start the reconstruction. Daryl's days were filled with physical labor and his nights were spent thinking of Carol until he was simply too exhausted to stay awake.

It had been nine days since Hank and Barbara had returned. The wall was nearly done and the weather had finally cleared. There had been a few conversations about going back out to look for the missing, but at this point there wouldn't be any way to track them left.

It was dinner time and Daryl was sitting at a table with Rick, Michonne, Glenn, and Maggie discussing what other repairs needed to be addressed, when the sound of an approaching vehicle put everyone on guard. Grabbing weapons they made their way toward the opening gates. A red van that was covered in mud and blood and Daryl could only imagine what else slowed to a stop in front of them.

The driver door opened and an unfamiliar man stepped out, then the other doors started opening and Daryl saw Shiloh step out. He looked in as bad of shape as the van was but he was smiling. He sketched a small wave and then moved toward the back of the van. When he reappeared Daryl almost dropped to his knees in relief. Shiloh was helping a limping Carol around the side of the van. She was limping and her arm was in some sort of sling and her left eye was nearly swollen shut but she was there smiling at him.

He rushed forward several steps, stopping just short of colliding with her. Standing so close to her he could see her trembling. Not wanting to hurt her anymore he simply put his forehead against hers. She sighed and closed her eyes. They simply stood there for several minutes just being together.

The sound of someone clearing their throat finally brought them apart. "Why don't you take her to James," Rick suggested if Daryl. James was the closest thing to a doctor on the compound.

After nodding they slowly started making their way to the small room they used for medical. An hour later they knew that Carol had a broken wrist, a possible broken bone in her foot, and a possible concussion.

After everyone had visited and welcomed Carol back she was left alone with Daryl. "I'm going to go get some clothes for you," at her affirmative nod Daryl rushed out the door, wanting to get back quickly.

It took him ten minutes to get back. When he walked in the door Carol smiled at him and he couldn't help his matching one. Despite how things had been when she left he could tell that's something was different now.

"I talked to James and he said absolutely no weight on your foot for the next twenty-four hours. He said that he wants to see if the swelling goes down any. So..." He stepped out the door and returned almost immediately with a slightly steaming bucket of water. "You have to settle for a sponge bath."

"Sounds promising," Carol joked. Daryl simply smirked.

Putting all of his gathered supplies down, he stood facing her. She had a slight smile and he knew she could tell he was trying not to let his embarrassment show.

"Is it OK if I help you with your shirt?" He asked softly, at her nod he moved forward. The shirt was filthy and crusted mud was sprinkled over the bed when they had finally wrestled it off. "That was wasn't too hard," Daryl said with satisfaction.

She was sitting exposed in her bra which had dirt on it as well, but he wasn't quite brave enough to suggest removing that. Dipping a rag into the water he slowly started running it over her arms and shoulders, being careful to avoid the bulky bandage on her wrist.

He tried not to think of how intimate the situation was, but it was hard with the satisfied sighs coming from Carol.

"Will it bother you if I take off my bra?" The question caught him off guard and he nearly dropped the rag, but he shook his head in the negative and helped her maneuver the garment off. He tried to be a gentleman and not peak, but failed almost immediately. Feeling guilty he looked up at Carol and to his surprise she was smirking at him. He just shrugged and went back to bathing her.

They struggled a little but eventually got her pants off. "You may as well take those off too," he said gesturing to her underwear. With a slightly embarrassed expression she agreed and they were removed. He took his time like he did with her torso and gently washed her legs, before giving her the rag and letting her handle the more intimate areas.

"Such a gentleman," Carol teased. Daryl ducked his head and smiled shyly.

Soon it was time to get her dressed again, "I got you some of the softest stuff I could find. I like to have soft clothes when I don't feel well," he explained with a shrug.

As they were shuffling around putting on her new clothes Daryl found himself unconsciously looking at her breast several times and every time she would catch him. Thankfully she didn't say anything because he already felt guilty enough.

It was bit of a struggle but they finally had her clothes and comfortable. With a quick, "Be right back," Daryl rushed out the door again.

When he came back he was carrying two bowls full of chili. "I figured you were hungry." He said quickly handing her a bowl. She balanced it on her thigh with her bandaged hand and used her good hand to feed herself. Daryl had pulled up a chair beside the bed and was digging into his own bowl. They ate in silence.

When Daryl finally finished he glanced at her and saw her watching him, "What?" He wipes his mouth thinking he had food on him.

"I like watching you eat," his eyebrow popped up causing her to laugh out. "No matter how disgusting what you eat is, like squirrel for example, you eat it like it's the best thing you've ever had. It's fascinating really." She finished with a big yawn.

Daryl stood and took her empty bowl, "I will go so you can sleep." He was surprised at the look of disappointment that flashed across her face.

She looked down at the bed, "There's plenty of room up here you know."

Daryl hesitated not sure if she was joking, but she moved over and patted the bed with her good arm. He set the bowls in a table behind him and removed his shoes before gently climbing on the bed beside her.

He sat rigidly, not sure what to do with his arms. Carol grasped his hand and shook it, "Relax, I'm not in the mood to jump you tonight." He looked at her in surprise and she laughed out again.

He joined her, the sound of her laughter was the best thing he had heard in a while. This was the Carol he remembered.

When they calmed down she relaxed against him and put her head on his shoulder. He put his own head against hers, soon they were both asleep.

Daryl was awakened by the sound of whimpers and a sharp kick in the leg. It took him only seconds to realize it was Carol having a nightmare. He over he gently shook her and she jerked awake immediately. She looked around frantically until she seemed to remember where she was and calmed down.

"Sorry," she said after seeing him watching her.

"Nothing to apologize for," she was sweating and he could still see the fear in her eyes. "Want to talk about it?"

She was shaking her head before he finished. "Wanna try and go back to sleep?"

She shook her head again, "Could we talk for just a bit? Just about anything. Distract me."

He thought for a second and then finally, "Did you get hurt just so maybe I would give you a sponge bath," he smiled when he got the desired laugh he was going for. When she stopped laughing he was serious, "What did happen?"

She shrugged a little, "You know how fast things snowball out there. We were coming out of the building and suddenly they were everywhere. I got knocked down, but the others were there immediately and helped me. Then we just started running. We were in the woods and I was distracted. I could hear walkers but I couldn't see them. I also didn't see the giant drop off either. I fell and well you can see what happened there. It was a stupid mistake," she paused seeming lost in thought. "Two of the walkers that were following us fell down after me. It was so close, they seemed so strong. I actually thought about you and how we had so much unfinished crap between us that it gave me sort boost. I know that's corny." She had her head down fiddling with a string on the blanket.

"It's not corny. I've had that same thing." Daryl couldn't help himself he needed to hold her hand. She gave his a squeeze and put her head on his shoulder. Taking a deep breath he worked up his courage, "I think we need to stop running from each other," he spoke quietly. He felt her nod against his shoulder. "We need to communicate better too. None of this just assuming the worst shit."

Carol chuckled, "We are particularly good at that aren't we."

Feeling braver now he continued, "I don't know how you feel about me, but I now I can't imagine living in the world like this without you. I don't want to not know where you are or what you're thinking. I...I...," he felt dumb saying it, but said it anyway. "I want you to be mine."

He was afraid to look at her, afraid of the rejection, but he felt her hand on his chin titling his face toward hers, "I want that too." Daryl couldn't stop his smile.

They sat in silence until, he felt her grow heavier against his side. He sat listening to her breathe until he saw the sky outside the window growing lighter. He didn't want to leave, but he had things he had responsibilities. Moving slowly and carefully he eased out of the bed. He smiled when he saw her frown slightly and reach her hand out without waking. He covered and kissed her forehead. He shook his head when he realized he was simply standing there staring, smiling like an idiot.

Outside he found Rick, "How's Carol?"

Daryl frowned when he felt the same stupid smile on his face. Clearing his throat, he said gruffly, "She's good." Rick gave him a slightly odd look, but changed the conversation to the tasks of the day.

It wasn't until late in the afternoon that Daryl had time to see Carol. When he opened the door he saw her sitting on the bed reading. When she glanced over she smiled, "OH thank God, I am so bored," she complained dramatically.

Daryl chuckled and sat in the chair beside the bed, "I figured you would be enjoying your break."

Carol sighed, "You'd think," she took his hand, "Tell me about your day."

"I've only been working on the wall, we've also been talking about ways to get more rooms or something set up. People are getting crowded. I mean you sleep in a closet."

He rolled his eyes when she sighed dramatically, "I miss my closet."

He could feel that stupid smile again, but he didn't care. "You seem to be in an awfully good mood."

"I am, I'm happy." She was smiling.

Daryl knew he had a matching one, he couldn't help it when she was so happy, "Oh yeah, any particular reason you're so happy."

Laughing she pushed his hand away. They were interrupted by a knock on the door. Daryl opened it and Carl walked in carefully carrying two bowls of what looked like soup. Daryl and Carol were silent as they watched as he concentrated on not spilling the bowls, his tongue peeking out of the corner of his mouth. It was easy to forget he was still so young.

When he managed to pass a bowl to each of them he gave a self-satisfied smile, "Dad said that you can have the rest of the Daryl. He said he figured Carol was going stir crazy in here anyway," with that he waved and was gone.

"Well that's convenient," Carol said blowing on her soup. They ate in silence and just like the night before Daryl looked up to see her watching him. "Weirdo." She just nodded and shrugged.

When they were finished Daryl put the bowls away and moved on to the bed. They sat and held hands and simply talked about anything and everything. There was a lull in conversation and Daryl had a sudden urge, "Can I kiss you?" He asked suddenly surprising them both.

Carol nodded with no hesitation.

Daryl had thought about this many times before, but he never imagined it would happen. He didn't figure he would be this calm either. He angled himself so he could lean over her slightly, and cupped her jaw. He could feel a slight tremble in her and was relieved she was feeling it as much as him.

He moved slowly, giving her a chance to back out if she needed, but she showed no signs of hesitance. When their lips first met it was a simple caress and Daryl never felt anything so amazing. All of his kisses before were all teeth and tongue in the heat of the moment. He had never kissed anyone he cared for like he did her.

He moaned lightly when she deepened the kiss. Soon her good hand was in his hair and she was holding him to her. It was amazing. Too soon though he knew he needed to stop. They pulled apart slowly both breathing heavily.

Daryl not so subtly reached behind them and pulled the extra pillow into his lap. He was surprised to see a smirk on Carols face as she looked pleased with herself. "That was a nice first kiss," she said still looking quite pleased.

"Um...yeah I say it was pretty successful," he smacked her hand away when she ran it over the hand holding the pillow. They both burst out laughing at the situation.


	14. Chapter 14

It had been two weeks since Carol had gotten injured and her and Daryl's first kiss. They had barely gotten to spend any more time together because of the community's demands on them. She would catch glimpses of him every now and again, and he always seemed to know. He would look up and catch her. He would always smile, she had never seen him smile so much. It filled her with confidence knowing she was the cause.

Today however, she hadn't seen him at all. By asking around she found out he had left early that morning, but no one could tell her where he went. Trying not to worry she kept herself busy in the storage building helping with supplies from a successful run.

She was by herself when she heard someone enter. Looking up she was relieved to see Daryl standing with a slightly nervous look. She fought the urge to run to him and settled for a smile instead, "You had me worried."

With a chagrined tone, "Sorry, I expected to get back sooner," he moved closer to her. He still seemed nervous when he reached her.

He simply stood in front of her before finally leaning near and kissing her cheek. When he pulled back he was looking down.

"Hey," she said gently getting him to look up. She grasped his shirt and pulled until their bodies were flush. She waited for him to meet her gaze and then she kissed him.

The kiss started gentle, but soon it turned heated. She felt a thrill go through her as he moaned and gripped her hips, pulling her even closer. It was Carols turn to moan when he ran his hands up her sides.

They both shot apart when they heard a startled, "Oh God!"

Turning quickly they were confronted by Carl standing at the door a hand over his eyes.

"I'm sorry, my dad is looking for Daryl."

"It's OK Carl, we were just kissing," Carol said with a chuckle.

He peeked out from behind his hand and relaxed when he saw them standing with space between them.

"You're not supposed to be kissing," he said dumbly. "I mean you're… you're Daryl and Carol."

"What the hell does that mean?" Daryl asked loudly.

"It means… I don't know. It's just weird OK." Carl explained before rushing out the door.

Carol laughed at the confused expression on Daryl's face, "He's just a kid Daryl," she tried to explain. Seeing him relax she asked, "Where did you go?"

"How do you feel like goin' on a little trip?" at her questioning look he continued, "We'll be gone a little over a day."

"Where are we going?"

He just shrugged, "It's a surprise." When he smiled she should could help but kiss him again.

He told her to grab her gear and meet him at the gate in ten minutes. She could help but feel nervous. It would be the first time they had spent any significant time alone since she had gotten back with the group.

When she got to the gate he was waiting, fiddling with his crossbow. He jumped when she asked, "Where we going?"

"Um… It's about a thirty minute walk from here," he said gesturing over his shoulder. "Rick knows where we're going. He'll come looking for us if we aren't back by day after tomorrow."

They quickly set off and she followed quietly as he led her through the woods. He would glance back occasionally to check on her. Carol was lost in thought with the woods suddenly opened up into a small clearing. In the middle stood a small A-frame cabin. Carol gasped at the beauty.

"This is amazing, it looks like it's out of a magazine," she turned and say Daryl looking pleased with himself.

"I stumbled on it a couple of months ago, when I was trying to get away for a while. It's too nice to be a hunting shack so I figure it was someone's escape from the world." Grabbing her hand he led her inside.

The interior was quaint with a small kitchen area and a living room area with a sofa and coffee table. There was a ladder to a lofted area where Carol could just make out a mattress. Most of the back wall consisted of windows.

"I love this," Carol announced turning to Daryl who was standing against the wall watching her take everything in.

"We haven't even been able to see each other. I know we need to talk about stuff," he paused and looked down shyly, "And maybe do other stuff." He glanced up trying to judge her reaction, he was relieved to see her smiling.

Sitting on the sofa she patted the cushion beside her. He sat at the opposite end not touching her.

"Um… I brought some food and water if you want some," he looked at her but quickly looked down again.

Carol scooted closer to him and took his hand, "Why are you so nervous?" she questioned quietly.

He shrugged, "I keep expecting you to realize who I am or something and realize you don't want to be here with me."

Carol put her hand on his cheek and turned his face toward her, "At the risk of sounding cliché, I can honestly say, there is no other place I had rather be."

He looked at her seemingly trying to judge if she was being serious. Apparently he saw what he needed to see. He smiled and moved to kiss her. She gladly met him halfway. The kissed for several minutes before pulling apart breathlessly.

"We're really good at that," Daryl said his voice huskier than normal. "I never even liked kissing before," he ran his thumb over her mouth, she smiled.

"I've never been much of a kisser either. With Ed it was more about domination than anything else," she trailed off not wanting to taint the moment.

Feeling tears fill her eyes she stood and moved to stand in front of the windows, wiping impatiently at the escaped tears.

Daryl stood too and moved behind her, placing his forehead against the back of her head and placing his hands gently at her waist. The comfort was almost too much, "What if I'm too damaged to do this?" she questioned.

"What do you mean?" his voice was muffled.

"What if I can't do anything more than kissing? I've only had sex with Ed by choice a hand full of times, all the others were do it or be punished. Then after I left the group…" she trailed off lost in thought.

Daryl grasped her tighter and gently turned her, "Hey. Come back to me," when she met his eyes he continued, "What's between us isn't about sex. I mean I want that too, but what's most important us just being together. I don't care if there is never anything more than kissing. What's important is being together. Always together."

Carol sniffled and nodded and kissed him again. Unexpectedly the kisses ratcheted up in intensity. Daryl moaned when she boldly bit his lip. He pulled her closer to him, involuntarily thrusting against her, causing her to gasp. He tried to step back but she held him to her.

They stood foreheads together. Carol eyes were closed, "Do you want to stop?" Daryl spoke quietly. At the slight nod Daryl stepped away, but still held her arms.

"I'm sorry," her voice was full of shame.

He tilted her face to look into his, "You have nothing to apologize for."

She glanced down briefly and smiled slightly, "What about that?" she gestured to the erection tenting his pants.

He chuckled, feeling slightly guilty, "I've had a lot of experience in taking care of that."

Carol smirked suddenly and an unrecognizable expression crossed her face, "Can I watch?"

He actually had to grip her tighter to stay standing. She laughed at his reaction buy stopped quickly when he backed away and undid his pants. He heard her swallow.

She watched with rapt attention as he first removed his shirt and then his pants, exposing himself completely to her. She moved a few steps back and dropped down onto the sofa.

He was nervous, but then he noticed her quickened breaths and the way she unconsciously licked her lips and he quickly gained confidence.

She gasped when he grasped himself and started stroking. He could feel her eyes on him everywhere.

"Come sit by me," her voice was huskier than normal and it sent a shiver through him.

The sofa was small putting them close together. She watched him quietly. He was quiet except his sighs as his hand kept a steady rhythm. She knew she needed to touch him.

She put her hands on his thighs causing him to pause briefly, but continue when her hands started to move. She moved past his pumping hand and rubbed up his torso. She rubbed her thumbs over his nipples and was surprised when his hips jerked and he moaned. His head jerked to her, apparently just as surprised as she was.

His responsiveness sent a shiver through her and she took his mouth, not being able to control herself. He grunted at the forceful kiss, but responded immediately. He nearly lost it as she pushed away his hand and replaced it with her own.

"Oh God," he knew for sure he had never felt anything like this before. He knew he was close. He met her eyes and the look she gave him had him thrusting into her hand. When she leaned down and nipped at his neck he came with a shocked shout.

"Shit," he was gripping her shirt with both hands as he continued to thrust into her hand through the aftershocks.

"Jesus," her forehead was pressed against his and she was smiling, "That was unexpected," she chuckled.

She was still breathing heavily and he surprised her by pushing her away gently and sitting up. She started to speak, but he stopped her with a kiss. Grabbing his shirt from the floor he wiped himself quickly and then he was kissing her again.

He slowly pushed her until she was lying flat against the couch. He paused and gave her time to stop him, she pulled him to her. They kissed for several minutes before he started kissing down her neck. He had never done anything like this before, all his other sexual encounters involving very little foreplay.

He kissed until he reached the top of her shirt and then bent lower and pulled her shirt up slightly and started placing kisses on her stomach.

He started to remove her shirt to move higher, but stopped to look at her face. She stared at him wordlessly and then nodded. He kissed her mouth quickly before removing the shirt.

She was shaking and he simply caressed her. She met his gaze and the desire in his eyes calmed her. No one had ever looked at her the way he was now. He leaned down to kiss her and his hands moved to her breasts. She sighed into his mouth as his thumbs played over her nipples.

He moved his mouth down her neck again kissing and sucking, drawing sighs and moans from her. When he closed his mouth over her a nipple she thrust her hips against him and they both moaned.

She startled him by pushing against him and sitting up, be he realized quickly she was just removing her bra. He actually chuckled when she pulled him back to her breast, "You like that huh?" she laughed too, but it was cut off as Daryl enthusiastically explored her breast.

Carol was in heaven. Her breast had always been sensitive, but Ed had never cared enough to worry about her pleasure. Daryl however seemed to get pleasure from her pleasure. All thought left her mind as she felt his hands move to the button of her pants.

He paused meeting her eyes expectantly, she nodded after only a second's hesitation. He made quick work of undoing them and placed a kiss on her hip before removing them and her panties. She was briefly confused when he slid down and knelt between her legs.

A shiver ran through her as she started kissing his way up her thighs. Just before he put his mouth on her most intimate place he met her gaze.

He smirked when she whispered, "Oh God," then he lowered his head.

She moaned loudly and thrust against him, when his mouth touched her. Daryl had never bothered to do this with of his other partners, but he couldn't help himself with her. He was a little unsure of himself, but the noises she was making and the way she moved against him told him he was doing something right.

Sooner than expected she tensed and held him to her. He continued to work her.

"OK…OK…you have to stop," she eventually muttered pushing him away.

He sat back on his knees and took in the sight in front of him. She was sprawled on her back, legs still spread, and her arm over her eyes. Her skin was flushed and she was covered in a sheen of sweat. He had never seen her so unguarded.

When she got her breath back she looked down her body at him and saw him smirk. She rolled her eyes and sat up, grabbing the back of his head and kissing him hard, "Let's go lay on the bed."

Daryl grabbed a bottle of water he brought earlier and followed her to the loft. There was only a mattress and a small table in the loft. Daryl had put a lantern up here on his first visit.

He took a long drink and passed it to Carol. He sprawled on his back with his arms behind his head. He knew he should be nervous being completely exposed, but he wasn't. He trusted her completely.

His eyes were closed and he felt the mattress dip slightly as Carol moved beside him. He started violently when she grasped him in her hand and slowly stroked him.

"So what is this?" she asked casually.

He glanced at her and raised and eyebrow, "Um…it's a penis," his answer was followed by a groan when she squeezed him a little roughly.

"You're in an awfully vulnerable position to be such a smart ass."

"Sorry," he sighed in relief when she continued her lazy strokes. She was sitting raised on her elbow taking him in. Adjusting slightly Daryl was able to put an arm under her so he could pull her closer to him, he caressed her back. She smiled and kissed him. A deep kill full of feeling that Daryl felt to his toes.

"This is just us. It doesn't need a label," he was slightly disappointed when she stopped stroking him and mover her hand to his stomach.

"I never thought I would have anything like this. Definitely after the world changed. So this is just us?" she sounded like she was searching for something.

"Just you and me together. This is how it should have always been. There's no expectations," he said reassuringly.

She smiled and started stroking him again while she kissed him. When his breathing started to pick up she straddled his hips. His eyes were wide as he felt her moist heat rubbing against him.

"Is this OK?" she asked breathlessly as her hips picked up speed.

He nodded almost frantically. Raising slightly she grasped him and guided him to her, slowly sinking down on him, "Oh God," they spoke in unison.

When he was fully in, they paused, breaths coming harshly. Leaning down she kissed him deeply before the urge to move became too much.

Daryl's eyes rolled into the back of his head when she raised herself and then sank slowly back down. He grasped her hips and soon they found a perfect rhythm, which Daryl lost when she reached down and began to touch herself, "Oh shit," he knew he was close.

She laughed, able to see his internal struggle, speeding up her hand. A minute later she felt his release inside of her and followed quickly, pushed over by the look of sheer bliss on his face.

She lay on him briefly not wanted to break the connection just yet. She finally rolled off, lying beside him.

"We didn't use protection," Daryl said quietly, feeling ashamed for being so irresponsible.

Carol rolled and kissed his shoulder, "Its fine, I can't have any more kids."

He sighed in relief.

"You have a pretty penis," Carol said suddenly.

"What the hell?" he said, sitting up and looking at her like she had lost her mind, and then looking down at himself, "Do I?"

Carol laughed loudly, "You do. Nice and pink, no weird curves. Good size…"

"OK, OK stop," his face was bright red, "I never thought of a penis being pretty or not," he glanced down at himself.

Carol was laughing again, "Well now you know," she quieted, still smiling, "I haven't been this happy in so long."

Daryl looked up from his penis, "I was that good huh?"

Carol slapped him in the stomach causing him to grunt, "I'm pretty sure I did most of the work," they laughed together.

Turning serious he lay down on his side facing her, "I know what you mean. For the first time, possibly ever I feel like everything has meaning. Like this is where we're supposed to be."

Carol nodded wiping at the tears on her cheeks. They moved together sharing a kiss before settling down to sleep. Daryl was asleep almost immediately.

Listening to his breaths deepen Carol knew that no matter what this new world threw at them, they would handle it together.

END


End file.
